Wow, it's been nearly a month since I've posted. How does that happen?
Partly, because I'm busy. And one of the reasons I'm busy is what I'm writing about now.
Something I've been thinking about a lot lately is love.
I want to love. I want to see people as Jesus sees them. I want to have his heart and his compassion. I want to be able to see past their outside, past the shell they put up for the world, see into their heart, and interact with them based on what's really going on. I want to minister deeply into them Jesus' love and compassion.
I want to love givingly, self-sacrificially. I want love to be not about my own needs or wants, but about serving and blessing others. I want the gift that God gives me to be used to bring healing to the hurting and the brokenhearted, just as he has done for me. I want to bring life to the dying, emotionally and spiritually speaking.
As I was praying about this the other night, and asking God to give me his love, I remembered 1 Corinthians 13. This is an overdone chapter, perhaps, but it outlines the nature of true love. I'm not going to thoroughly exposit it, whatever that means, just share some thoughts.
Paul first lists a number of things which he says are no use if we don't have love. The list looks pretty impressive, in fact, they're things that as Spirit-filled Christians we long for:
- tongues of men and angels
- gift of prophecy
- understanding all mysteries and all knowledge
- faith that can move mountains
- giving everything to the poor
- surrendering our body to be burned
Now, Paul isn't saying those things are bad things. In fact, a few verses earlier, he tells us, "eagerly desire the greater gifts." (1 Cor 12:31) So what is he saying? All the gifts in the world, the greatest miracle-working power, the most outrageous sacrifice, are of no value unless we have what is most important:
Love.
What does love look like? Thankfully, Paul outlines it for us, and I'm going to put it in list form:
- patient (doesn't demand the other person change, or meet our expectations)
- kind (always lifts up, never says a cruel word)
- doesn't envy (instead, rejoices in another's good fortune as if it were our own)
- doesn't boast (keeps quiet about itself; doesn't toot its own horn)
- is not proud (but humble)
- is not rude (is gracious, gentle)
- is not self-seeking (doesn't try to use the other person to meet our own needs, but seeks to bless them without expecting anything back)
- not easily angered (puts up with the other's faults)
- keeps no record of wrongs (forgives quickly and easily, doesn't remember or bring up past mistakes to hurt the other person)
- does not delight in evil, rejoices in the truth (I believe part of this is covering up another's faults and not gossiping about them)
- always protects (the other person)
- always trusts (the other person, as far as you can, and ultimately, God)
- always hopes (looks for the best from the person)
- always perseveres (NEVER GIVES UP!)
This is the character of true love. As we read this, it's like a measuring stick: does our love (or indeed, the love of another for us) look like this?
If not, how can it?
Well, the answer is this. This list is what Jesus looks like. This is his character, this is his heart, this is his love. So how do we get this? Simply, by Jesus living inside us. When his Spirit comes to dwell in us, he gives us his nature and his power to accomplish this. We can't do it, but he can, and he will. The answer lies in yielding to him and seeking him to give us this character of love. We must be willing to allow him to break us and to change us, surrendering completely to him so he can do his will in and through us.
It's what I want, more and more.
