All You Need is Love

1 Corinthians 13: 1-3 And now I will show you the most excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophesy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I posses to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Paul is stating that love must be the foundation of all our actions. His words refocus our attention to the teachings of our Lord in Matthew 5: 43-48, 22:37-40 and John 15: 9-17. It was and is a radical message that draws us completely out of ourselves.

It's hard to love someone when they aren't doing what I want. Often in this situation, my actions are much more about putting them in their place or letting them know how much trouble they are being than about loving them. Sometimes the glorification of Hugh takes precedent over love. People need to know what an impressive guy I am, right? There are also times when others have chosen a path that is destructive to themselves and others and they have no intention of changing what they are doing. I can't just do nothing, but is my action based in love of God and the people involved? Some problems can just be ignored. Is that love? Christ called me to love...period. Love God and love my neighbor. Every thought and response I have should be born of this love. Wow, I am so not there! I so want to be though. Life would be an entirely different experience if I loved enough to trust in the provision God has made for me and spend my efforts looking out for the welfare of others. I would be God's provision for them! He would give me whatever I asked in Christ name, not because I wanted it but because love required it. Until I have that trust and love, my actions are going to be tainted to some degree by self interest. That leaves my self interest competing with everyone else's and that's pretty much the world we live in now. Am I willing to do the hard work of trust in God and self forgetting? Will I call on Christ to get me through the pain of strangling out my old self to make way for a new creation? Am I willing to walk through fear and into the Kingdom of God? The task is colossal, nothing short of a death struggle really. The reward is untold joy. This is Christ's call to each of us.

Father God, Grant that I might love and trust You enough to truly love my neighbor. Lead me through the death of my will that stands in the way of Your Kingdom. Amen.