Rich In Its Trade

8.11.2010

John 13:34-35 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” ESV

Love is one of the more maligned words in our vocabularies – we don’t know what it means and practice it poorly. For many, the word love means affection and yes, love is affection but it is so much more. For many love means romance and yes, love is partly romance but it is so much more. For many love is tolerance; and yes, love is tolerance, but it is so, so much more.

How does God love us? With affection, yes, with affection; with romance; yes, with romance; with tolerance; yes, with tolerance – but God loves us because God sees what we can become in Him. God purposed to create a perfect relationship with each of us so that we could have the perfect relationship with each other and thereby relate perfectly with His universe around us – but the lifeblood of it all is love.

Love is treating others the way we wish to be treated – not the façade we put on, but how we deeply, really, want to be treated. Love is always others-focused. Love is devoid of self. Love really is always patient and kind; love does not ever envy or boast; it is not ever arrogant or rude. It does not ever insist on its own way; it is not ever irritable or resentful; it does not ever rejoice at wrongdoing, but always and forever rejoices with the truth. Love magnificently bears all things, continually believes all things, steadfastly hopes all things, patiently endures all things. Love never ever ends (1 Co 13:4-8 ESV with my spin)

Father in Heaven,

You are love and Your children are born into love. Help me God through all of the pain in my life to learn to love and cut others slack as they learn to love as well. The currency of Your Kingdom is love and God I pray that I become rich in its trade – I pray in Jesus’ Name, amen.