Monday, February 10, 2014

The Love Chapter

Valentine's Day is only a few days away!  I am still not sure how I feel about this holiday. My husband and I firmly believe that we should show our love to our spouse 365 days a year, not just 1. We should do those little acts of love regularly, not just when the calendar tells us to. Yet on the other hand, it is nice to have that day to do extra things and go all out. 

Whether you are one of those who goes all out red and hearts and lovey-dovey for the day or one who dismisses the day completely, this is for you.





Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails... I Corinthians 13:4-8

The Bible tells us in I John 4 that God is love. So let's do this again a little differently.

Jesus is patient, Jesus is kind. He does not envy, He does not boast, He is not proud. He is not rude, He is not self-seeking, He is not easily angered, He keeps no record of wrongs. Jesus does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Jesus never fails... I Corinthians 13:4-8

Oh that describes Jesus perfectly! Jesus is all of those things. He is love. Well, we are supposed to be Christ-like. Correct? So let's try this yet again.

Jenifer is patient, Jenifer is kind. She does not envy, she does not boast, she is not proud. She is not rude, she is not self-seeking, she is not easily angered, she keeps no record of wrongs. Jenifer does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Jenifer always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Jenifer never fails... I Corinthians 13:4-8

Hmmm....

If I were honest with you, I would say that is not true. I am not always patient and kind. I am, at times, easily angered. And yes, I have been known to keep record of my husband's wrong doings. I do fail.

The Bible tells us what love is and it tells us that God is love. It also tells us that we are to be like God. Take out the word love and add your name. Does it match up perfectly? I would imagine it doesn't.

Friends, we need to commit to our spouse, and even to our families and friends, to strive to be like God and to be love. I want to encourage, this Valentine's Day and all the days that follow, let's be love. Memorize I Corinthians 13 and practice putting your name in there and trying to make it true. 

I want to be like Christ. I want to be love.





*Adapted from a post on my blog a few years ago. 

8 comments:

  1. I, like you, have unsure feelings about Valentine's Day! I love this post and the reminder that God is love. I like the idea of putting my name in the scripture to personalize it! Thanks for reminding me!

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    1. I love personalizing Scripture. It really helps me to understand it.

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  2. Well said! We just did a study on this in our Women's group on Friday nights a few weeks ago.. the love here is just as you said agape...God type of love.. It is a love that must be motivated and empowered by the Holy Spirit.. We took each word and broke it down into its most simple form....such as, "patient" ..which means never gives up. I stated it like this, " God's love coming through Patty never gives up regardless of how hard life gets...." "kind" Wanting the best good for the other person.... "God's love coming through Patty always wants the best good for the other person..." When we began to state each word like that... really hit home hard for me.. I too, had to admit I was not always allowing God's love to flow through me..... repentance. In that I have become more aware of just how I love not only my spouse but others.... so according to I Cor. 13.... everyday is Valentine's Day for the people of God... Good stuff Jenifer.. I admire your heart and passion for the Word of God.. Keep on being faithful to share truth.. Blessings!

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    1. That's a great study, Patty! I love what you have added. Thank you for your kind words and for stopping by. God bless.

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  3. One of my favorite passages is the Love Chapter.

    As for celebrating one day a year, I say why not? Sure, we celebrate love every day, but if there's a day set aside to honor love then, wonderful. There are a lot worse things to celebrate.

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    1. It's a great chance to spend that one day going all out, a little more than normal. Thanks for stopping in Dayle!

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  4. This passage has challenged my faith and brought me to a depth of surrender and trust in my faith like no other. I absolutely love how you have personalized it! Beautiful challenging post:) Love, Rachael @ Inking the heart

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    1. Rachael, personalizing Scripture is a wonderful challenge that I love. Thanks for stopping in!

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