God Speaking

“We continually remember before our God and Father, your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ”

(1 Thessalonians 1: 3)

One of my son-in laws has and endearing saying he uses when he asks his wife to make him a cup of coffee and this is the term he uses;

Please make it with love.

He was really echoing what Paul was saying to the young churches as to how important it was to always be prompted by love when serving the Lord in any capacity.

Chapter 13 in 1 Corinthians is a beautiful exposition of what real love means, and is a popular reading at marriages, but it has a far more deeper meaning than love between humans.  It is the very essence of our relationship with Jesus Christ and fortifies and binds together everything we do for him

“And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” (Colossians 3: 14)

During the week our Women’s Bible study had a wind-up Christmas brunch and one of the speakers read a very thoughtful (sometimes funny) exposition of what the love chapter in 1 Corinthians 13 meant to women in this frantic preparation time preceding Christmas and even though we smiled we realised that the whole message of Christmas is wrapped in the word, love and if we leave that out everything we are doing becomes devoid of any real meaning. 

This is what we heard;

• If I decorate my house perfectly with lovely plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights, and shiny balls, but do not show love, I am just another decorator.
• If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, but do not show love, I am just another cook.
• If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home, and give all I have to charity, but do not show love, it profits me nothing.
• If I sing in the choir and attend all the services, but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point
• Love stops the cooking to hug the child
• Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband
• Love is kind though harried and tired
• Love doesn’t envy another home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linen
• Love doesn’t yell at the kids to get out of the way
• Love doesn’t only give to those who are able to give in return, but rejoices in giving to those who can’t.
• Love bears all things, hopes all things and endures all things.
• Love never fails. Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust
• But giving the gift of love will endure

Paul sums it all up in these words;

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13: 13)