By Mark Maher
If love is present, it’ll be a good life. When all else is stripped away, if all that remains is love, it’s been a good journey. “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)
“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have a faith that can move mountains, BUT DO NOT HAVE LOVE, I AM NOTHING . 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but DO NOT HAVE LOVE, I GAIN NOTHING.” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
The Lord brings people into your life and lessons are learned through these relationships. You will have opportunities every day to provide hope and encouragement to whomever you come across. Remember to focus on the relationships over crossing things off the list, getting tasks done, and always searching and striving for more.
God’s primary will for your life is two commands; “Love God with ALL your heart, with ALL your might, ALL your soul, and ALL your strength and then pour it ALL out and love others.” (Mark 12:30-31) We are the hands and feet of Christ. We are all called to do His WILL with all the love we have, which is why we can proclaim with certainty Romans 8:28 which says, “And we know that all things work together for good to THOSE WHO LOVE GOD, to those who are CALLED according to HIS PURPOSE.”
HIS PURPOSE is love, so to be in his will, all we have to do is love God and love others. This will be my firm foundation. I’m not chasing peripheral. You can’t tell me otherwise. “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:8)
Love is the catalyst, it’s the source, it’s why we do what we do. Fear is sometimes within the assignment but a spiritual goal is to flip it and find love and joy in every assignment. Strive to not become hardened or take others for granted and to not overlook the people right in front of you. Tell whatever is trying to control your love and joy; you’re not my God, you’re not my source. Life is simply too short and you don’t know what will happen tomorrow- learn to live life as if today is your last.
For me, many things are beyond my understanding, but How I treat people, I can’t deny love. Love must win and then Christ can take it from there, “because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) and raised up with Him in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2: 4-6)
Christ can’t love you anymore than He does right now is a fundamental cornerstone of our faith. John 3:16: “For God SO LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God DID NOT send his Son into the world TO CONDEMN the world, but TO SAVE the world through him.” (John 3:16-17)
It means I can’t earn it. It means it’s unconditional. It means I don’t have to do another thing. It’s not based on my merit, it’s not based on my strength, it’s not based on my gifts, It’s not even based on whether I love Him or not. He loves me anyways. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8)
And finally, Romans 8:38-39 which reveals the ultimate magnitude of God’s love for us. “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Have My Heart
