Wednesday December 22 Love I Corinthians 13
If
I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a
noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand
all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove
mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my
possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have
love, I gain nothing.
Love
is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude.
It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does
not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things,
believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love
never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues,
they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know only in
part, and we prophesy only in part; but when the complete comes, the partial
will come to an end. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a
child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish
ways. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now
I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.
And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is
love.
****
God is pure, unconditional love…
In 1 Corinthians, 13:4-7, we read
in human terminology that which cannot easily be expressed through words.
As in the Sermon on the Mount, we
see kindness, goodness and mercy, unselfishness and peace, as qualities of
God’s love. Truth and purity of heart exemplify the nature of God.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 gives us the
road map for hoping to attain this in and through our everyday life, in
everything we DO and everything we ARE, DO it and BE it in love. Only acts of
mercy, patience and kindness, will last and live forever.
Human nature, being what it is,
pulls us in the opposite direction. So
we must always strive for “faith, hope and love”… pure, unconditional love
which is the essence of God.
Prayer of Commitment
written by Holley Gerth
Lord,
Because
love is patient…
Help
me to be slow to judge, but quick to listen,
hesitant
to criticize, but eager to encourage,
remembering
your endless patience with me.
Because
love is kind…
Help
my words to be gentle and my actions to be thoughtful.
Remind
me to smile and to say “Please” and “Thank You”
because
those little things still mean so much.
Because
love does not envy or boast, and it is not proud…
Help
me have a heart that is humble and sees the good in others.
May
I celebrate and appreciate all that I have and all that I am,
as
well as doing the same for those around me.
Because
love is not rude or self-seeking…
Help
me to speak words that are easy on the ear and on the heart.
When
I’m tempted to get wrapped up in my own little world,
remind
me there’s a great big world out there full of needs and hurts.
Because
love is not easily angered and keeps no record of wrongs…
Help
me to forgive others as you have forgiven me.
When
I want to hold onto a grudge,
gently
help me release it
so
I can reach out with a hand of love instead.
Because
love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth…
Help
me stand up for what is right and good.
May
I defend the defenseless, and help the helpless.
Show
me how I can make a difference.
Because
love always protects and always trusts…
Help
me to be a refuge for those around me.
When
the world outside is harsh and cold,
may
my heart be a place of acceptance and warmth.
Finally,
because love always perseveres…
Help
my heart continually beat with love for You and others.
Thank
you for showing us what the word love really means. Amen.
Patricia
Kapp
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