What is Love?
Arguably the greatest description of what True Love is can be found in 1 Corinthians chapter 13 of the Holy Bible. In it Paul describes how important true love or “charity” really is.
What is my motivation for doing kind things? Why be kind to others or take part in the things of the Lord? It’s Love! Jesus Christ was and Is the embodiment of true Love. Everything He did was motivated through Love, that was His passion. The bible says in John 15:13, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” This is EXACTLY WHAT HE DID!
Paul, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, decided to take this to another level.
In plain English, He tells it how it is! If you don’t have Love or Jesus (the Holy Spirit), EVERYTHING we do is meaningless.
1Corinthians Ch. 13:1 – Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become
as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
(1Co 13:2) And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
(1Co 13:3) And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
Now that Paul has informed us that whatever we do without Love is worthless, He then describes what charity should look like. This is the type of person that I strive to be on a daily basis.
(1Co 13:4) Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
(1Co 13:5) Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
(1Co 13:6) Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
(1Co 13:7) Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
(1Co 13:8) Charity never faileth: but whetherthere be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
(1Co 13:13) And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these
is
charity.
The reality is that without Jesus this wouldn’t be possible. The bible says in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ[a] who strengthens me.” It is Jesus, the source of Charity, living within us that makes these verses attainable. Imagine what this world would look like if all of us shared these qualities……..that’s exactly how Heaven will be.
In summary, nothing has value without love in the equation. You could have Faith to move a mountain but without Love or without Jesus it means…….NOTHING. Jesus is everything, because Jesus is love.
Until next time……
Learning, it does a body good….
Albert Einstein said, “Once you stop learning, you start dying.”
It seems that once people finish school and start careers that learning gets left behind with the degree. Or, if there was no degree it gets left at the doorstep of whatever school we had been attending. However, it really shouldn’t be this way. There are so many benefits to life long learning. I believe Solomon said it best:
– A wise [man] will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:
He also stated:
– The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.
Life long learning is about life long growing. It helps to create the best version of “you” that you can create. You can’t have wisdom without knowledge and you can’t have knowledge without learning.
I’m not advising to go out and purchase a bunch of text books to start learning, this could be very boring and cause early onset narcolepsy! But, I am saying to step outside your comfort zone. Challenge yourself to learn new things, it will make you a more versatile and well rounded individual.
Jesus, I believe, was a life long learner. We see him teaching, learning, or ministering throughout his ministry. He was never idle, yes he rested, but never idle. He showed us the necessity of prayer for recharging, growing, and learning. He truly is the greatest example for all areas of our life.
This is the inaugural blog post by myself, Pastor Ryan. I’m always striving to learn, especially in my weakest area, writing. Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comment area. God bless.
Pastor Ryan