Love

December 8th, 2009

The bride was radiant, choking back tears of overwhelming joy as she walked down the rose petal aisle.  The bridegroom beamed, as he absorbed the atmosphere of this very emotional  day.  Conducting another wedding last Saturday re-emphasised for me the basic and central teaching of Jesus Christ that the supreme quality we must exhibit as Christ’s followers is love.  And love is more than a feeling, it is a choice.  1 Corinthians 13 is a passage we cannot get enough of!  

Far more important than being a great preacher, a worker of miracles, a prophetic anointing and amazing faith, is the selfless concern for the welfare of others - love.  It is a conscious decision to bless another person, usually at expense to ourselves.  It is a sacrificial act, considering what someone else would want rather than what you would like.  I am sure you are all familiar with the person who never asks how you or your children are, but is very keen to tell you about themselves, so pre-occupied that they really do not notice your situation.  That is not love.  

Lack of love is expressed as thoughtlessness, rudeness, impatience, or boasting.  It bears grudges, is short-tempered, keeps a record of wrongs, tries to get its own back and seems to delight in hearing bad things about others. 

‘I don’t love them any more’ is not an acceptable statement.  We are commanded to love, and God wouldn’t demand something that we were not able to act upon. 

As a Church, we are going through a season of transition and uncertainty in so many areas.  Some are being shaken to the very core of their being, facing huge challenges.  This is a time to protect each other, guard our tongues, and look out for those who are hurting.  I have been delighted to hear of the rallying of support that has already happened, but we need to be even more thoughtful and generous in our attitudes and giving.  Selfless love is what we are aiming for.   

David Thatcher 

Filed under: Thought of the Week