Anyways, I know I said I was going to do a Repentance or Spiritual Drunkenness post, which I still will, but I think that with today being Valentines day, I would speak on the LOVE of GOD. God's love is such a vast and beautiful thing, and as humans we can't understand it. We're not made to. But we can be thankful. Surely, not thankful enough, but we can try.
I chose the passage of 1 Corinthians 13, because it's the bibles portrayal of LOVE. There are many passages that portray love, because {GOD IS LOVE} YET, I think that this is A WAY to look at it.
1 Corinthians 13
1 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
It's really a beautiful passage I think. Mr. Ravenhill talked about this passage to. He brought up GREAT POINTS. Now, I'm going to repeat this passage, but change it. Say...substituting words. Alright? And this makes a great point.
1 Corinthians 13
1 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have God, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have God, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have God I gain nothing.
4 God is patient, God is kind. He does not envy, he does not boast, he is not proud. 5 He does not dishonor others, he is not self-seeking, he is not easily angered, he keeps no record of wrongs. 6 God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 God never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and God. But the greatest of these is God.
Ever looked at it that way? It really holds true to the verse GOD IS LOVE. Now, we'd never change it that way, for we do not change the bible, but look at it in that way. Now, substitute yourself with that at verse 4. Except but a 'does not, do not' etc. "I am not patient, I am not kind, I am self serving." YOU SEE? Character is SHOWN HERE! And half of the world probably has never heard of this passage, much less studied it. Yet, it's so beautiful. If we could only just see our sin. If we could only see, truly see that GOD IS LOVE.
This passage shows what love is. How many people do we really love? Well, with this kind of love, probably not many. Probably not ANY. I mean if we really took an honest moment to think about this, do we really love people like this? The real question is do we love GOD THIS WAY? If we don't, then we don't love anyone this way. If we can't love God with the love in this passage, than we don't love our family or friends with the love in this passage. It's a hard truth. But on this day that our culture has deemed as the "love day" we think of who we love right? So Who do we love?
Since we have failed to love, God's way, what can we do?
REPENT! REPENT! REPENT! REPENT! REPENT! REPENT! REPENT! REPENT!
How can we show we love God?
REPENT! REPENT! REPENT! REPENT! REPENT! REPENT! REPENT! REPENT!
Yes, the heart of my post is REPENTANCE. REPENT. And if the topic has bored you to death, then REPENT. For REPENTANCE should be proclaimed throughout the world. When you have a heart cry about something that's all people should define you by. IF it were to tell you one thing, and never see you again it would be, "Repent for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand."
SO, let's us REPENT today, and show our love for God. Let's build our relationship with him and make it deeper and wider. Let him know today that on THIS day YOU TRULY LOVE HIM.
So repent, and be forgiven.
~Hope your day is awesome and may everything YOU do be for HIS Glory!~
----HANNAH------
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