I’ve decided to use this blog as a repository for my weekly email Bible study messages. I send out these messages to family and friends to help them think more deeply about their walk with Christ. Now anyone can get them. 🙂 RSS is great! And away we go…

Hi Everyone,

You know, I am never sure how many of you actually read these emails I write and send out. Once upon a time I was overly concerned about such things. But I’ve learned to be faithful to God and myself with this email list. Last week I wanted to write, but my conscience would not let me. My spirit within me was under divine chastening for my self-centered pride and un-forgiveness towards others. I have since repented in humble submission and have now been graced to know what the Lord would have me to write. I am happy to say I shall write about love.

The love I will write about is the true kind of love. You may think love is a feeling. True love is not this. True love is a motive regardless of feelings. True love is of God. This great love was demonstrated by Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross. This is the love that God gives to believers, and then enables them to give His love to others. Yet, this love can be unnoticed and overlooked by the hard or preoccupied heart. This love is precious, and in the end marks out those who love Christ.

Does someone truly love you? How would you know? Do you really love Jesus? How would you know? Let’s bypass all the lustful and ego-centric depictions of love on the radio and TV, but look to that ancient book that precedes everything else for the answer…

BTW, in starting out this new series, I will endeavor to limit my words to 500 or so. I tend to be longwinded in my explanations (just ask my wife), so hopefully it won’t take you all as long to read it.

Okay, let’s turn to 1^st Corinthians, chapter 13. Here the Apostle Paul talks about love. The first three verses compare true love to some amazing things….

1^st Corinthians 13:1-3
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Okay, let’s review the amazing things:

• Gifted speech
• Gifted knowledge
• Great faith
• Great compassion
• Great sacrifice

These most sought-after, most desirable, most noble, most esteemed, most awe-inspiring qualities of man towards fellow man are worthless and empty apart from the motivation of true love. Just think about that for a moment…

Your finest moment, your personal best, your greatest act of faith (bungee-jumping perhaps), your most helpful times, and even your most painful selfless sacrifice is trash if those occasions and times were without love.

Such a contrast illustrates the glorious and matchless treasure of true love. Such a love must be divine! Next week we’ll start to see what this love IS…

**Comments/ questions/ testimonies/ objections most encouraged!

Dear Lord, thank you for this time to consider Your word and Your ways. May our thoughts, words, and deeds bring You glory… and glory to You alone. –Amen

Peace,
Jim