Love is... Powerful! {1 Corinthians 13-16}
8:00 PM
Has what you’ve seen happening in especially the political realm
in our country bothered you? By the time you’ll be reading this, the Supreme
Court nomination hearings for Justice Brett Kavanaugh have ended and so has the
election. So, let me now ask you, have you ever experienced anything like this
in your lifetime?
To be in today’s spotlights you almost need to wear good body armor and around
the clock security! But what saddened me most, was seeing the unkind post on
social media from those who also claim to walk with Jesus. We had four chapters to cover today in our reading, but I knew immediately I wanted to focus on what's often referred to as, "the Love Chapter". 
The Greek word for “love” here is “ἀγάπη” (agape), which
refers to a powerful love which leads to actions and sacrifice on the behalf of others. But I also wanted to show you what
else I found about this (agape) love:
The word “agape” comes from a verb (agapao) which, when directed towards humans, absolutely carries a sense of strong emotion and affection. It can even be translated as “to caress”. When we are told to love our enemies, it does not mean that we are to do good to them out of a mere sense of moral obligation. Indeed, we are to love them in every deep sense of that word, heart, mind, and soul. If one (such as myself) feels unable to perform such a feat, the only suggestion I may offer is that one seek God, who is the source of such love. - Justin Aptaker
Knowing this places an added importance on this passage for me,
for it conveys how we must treat others, and at the same time, reveals God’s
nature towards all of us because
“God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in
them.”-1
John 4:16
Notice how Paul chose to begin this chapter:
“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels,
but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 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. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body
to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” (13:1-3)
Paul is telling us that it doesn't matter what we do in life—or
what our “spiritual gifts” are—if we don't have love. Without love, everything
we do will amount to nothing. Therefore, it is imperative that our actions are
always motivated by our (agape) love.
The iWorship Bible had a great suggestion today. They encouraged
us to replace the word "love" with our name as we read through this passage and prayerfully try to discover any area where you may be failing short:
How are you doing in the area of loving others like God loves us?
My husband and I recently made a quick trip back to where we grew up to visit with friends and family we haven't seen in quite some time. I'll admit I was a bit concerned about how we'd be received in this political climate by those who have apposing views. Not that we intended to speak about such things, we didn't, but they all know about our faith.
We were prayed up before we left, and planned to love all as this chapter describes and let me tell you, The Lord blessed our time... incredibly!! We were both in awe as we left to come home and hope to return again soon! That trip proved to us once more that love; His (agape) love is ultimately victorious over all else! - ALL else!
What, or who have you been battling lately? I wanted to leave you with just a few more words of encouragement from Paul before we leave First Corinthians for this year:
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (15:58)
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. [And most of all] do everything in love. (16:13-14)
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