LOVE!  

1 Corinthians 13: 4 – 7 (NLT) tells us what LOVE is;

4.Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud

5.or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.

6.It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.

7.Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

We can confidently put GOD in place of LOVE in those verses. For God is patient and kind, God is not Jealous (only when we indulge in idolatry because he is very passionate about his children, but he doesn’t get involved in petty jealousy like we do), God is not boastful or proud, or rude and so on. GOD IS LOVE himself. But can we confidently put your name in place of LOVE in those verses too? Are you even trying? Are you walking with the Holy Spirit, so he can gradually build you up and your name can also fit in there?

Of course, it is not going to be easy and Jesus knows this. How? Remember he was here on earth too, in human form, flesh, and blood and he went through so much and many persecutions. And he knows how much it can be hard to live in LOVE or love others, especially those people that make it so hard to love them. And thus, he didn’t leave us alone; he gave us the Holy Spirit who now lives in us. To guide us and lead us. And the Holy Spirit works in you to produce the fruits of the spirit. The very first one is LOVE in Galatians 5: 22 – 23, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: LOVE, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! In fact, we can say all the fruits of the Holy Spirit is LOVE. Because if you look at the Bible verse above 1 Corinthians 13: 4 -7. You’ll see that LOVE has joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control in it already.

From the very beginning of creation, LOVE has always been the foundation. The Trinity exists together and in fellowship with one another because of the LOVE between them. God just wanted a relationship with his people, one centered on LOVE. But many things have happened since creation. Starting from Adam and Eve who broke the bond all the way to Jesus who was sent to restore the bond. It’s been all about LOVE.

Is it so wrong for a father to love his children or a creator to love his creations? So, why do we make it so hard and why do we keep pushing God away? Why can’t we just love? Why can’t we get it right?

Well, you may say, “I do love God.” Really? So, do you love God but you hate the people around you? The Bible says in 1 John 4: 20, “If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?”  If we say we love God but hate the people he created, we are basically saying we hate God too. How can we love a creator and hate his creations? Or how do you love a mother or father and hate their children? Those parents are never going to be happy with you. For you to love them and have a relationship with their family, you also have to love their children. So, while we love GOD, we must also love others. Those are the two greatest commandments (Matthew 22: 37 – 40). They work hand in hand. One is not complete without the other.

To show you how important love is. In Revelation 2: 1 – 7. You see the church in Ephesus were very hardworking; they had patient endurance through all persecutions, and Jesus praised them for this. BUT, he rebuked them for their lack of LOVE. They lost the love they once had for God and each other when they first believed. And what is hard work and endurance without LOVE? In 1 Corinthians 13:2, Apostle Paul answered that for us. He said, “I would be NOTHING.” In verse 3, he said, “If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.” And I especially love how the Message translation put it, “I’m BANKRUPT without LOVE.” Many Christians today are like the church in Ephesus. They serve well; they are hardworking, but they have lost the burning love they once had for God and others around them. And Matthew 24:12 warns us, “The love of many will grow cold.”  So, we must protect that love in our heart, and we must LOVE more and more. If we lost Love, we lost God himself. Because, GOD IS LOVE. LOVE is even more imperative and greater than your faith and hope (1 Corinthians 13:13). If you have LOVE you have it all.

So, I pray that God Almighty will work in us all and restore love into our hearts if we have lost it and he will give us the grace and strengthen us to continue to love him and others more and more in Jesus name. AMEN.

God bless

Lots of LOVE❤️😉

Esther Ademiju