I want to bear my soul with you this morning. What I am about to share with you ignites me, gets me up every morning. I realize I’ve fallen so short in this and have so much growing to do. It Is my prayer that all of us will humble ourselves before God and grow together, then together we can make a difference.
“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”
I Cor. 13:4-8a NKJV
When we really search our heart concerning this scripture, it causes us to ask some questions. Do I love only the people that I think have great potential, the people that I feel are worth the investment, the people that agree with me? We could go and on. When we really examine our hearts and how we feel, we discover that we really don’t know how to love until we begin to understand how Jesus loves. In these verses, God is describing how Jesus loves. This is a love that is not content with being just a bunch of words and talk – it’s an action word. It listens and it acts. It was the kind of love that Jesus had for the people when He walked from village to village that warm, sunny afternoon in Matthew 9:35-36 NKJV that says, “Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.” What is it about compassion? You see, it’s one thing to give a loaf of bread to someone, but it’s quite another thing to divide that bread with that person, sit down with him, and listen and share with one another. It’s a love that cuts through every ethnic, social, economic, and cultural boundary. The love that never gives up, it never quits. It’s a love that shows no partiality, that reaches out to all on this planet and says, “Sit over here, this is my best seat reserved for you.” By this action, you’re saying, “You are valuable to me. You have worth. You have dignity And I love you with the love of Jesus. A love that bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Cor 13:7 NASB.” Love never quits, never, never, never quits!