LOVE

Many people associate love with a heart or a day on the calendar. I will, however, never forget my sister’s comment about LOVE…she said, “LOVE is a CHOICE.”

I mentioned in my End Times’ corner that I have been on a journey to understand the End Times for several years.  I am praying for wisdom to rightly divide the Word of God.  While I believe God is giving me insight into His Word, what surprised me, however, was my own words and attitudes, at times, towards situations and people.  I am not always patient, loving or kind in my responses. This puzzled me because I thought spending more time in the Word of God would mean instant change. 

I woke up one morning preparing for my study time again on the End Times, and I felt the Holy Spirit speaking to my heart and saying, “Not today…today we focus on LOVE.”  I thought this was a strange deviation from studying the End Times, but I asked the Lord to show me what He had in mind for me that day.  He took me to the LOVE Chapter, I Corinthians 13.

I read these words, as if for the first time, “If I could speak in any language in Heaven or on Earth, but didn’t love others, I would only be making meaningless noise…if I knew all the mysteries of the future and knew everything about everything, but didn’t love others, what good would I be?” (I Corinthians 13:1 – 2)

These words struck my heart because while I was on a journey to understand all the mysteries of the future and End Times, God was showing me that without LOVE, my words would be nothing.  While I was praying to make a difference in the lives of others, without LOVE, my actions would fail. I have been a Christian most of my life, and yet I find myself saying things I should not or displaying impatience at times, when LOVE is the key. 

I believe many people struggle with LOVE. However, what would our world look like if we showed LOVE in our words or how we relate to our spouses, families, friends, colleagues…even those quite different from us?  I see our culture shifting…moving further away from the things of God and that should concern us.  While we know God’s Word and the End Times are inevitable, we are to be “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14).

I believe my sister is right…LOVE is a CHOICE.  It is our choice whether we will obey the Word of God to LOVE as He designed LOVE to be, not based on our feelings or emotions.

“LOVE is patient and kind. LOVE isn’t jealous, boastful, proud or rude. LOVE doesn’t demand its own way. LOVE is not irritable and keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. LOVE bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things. LOVE never fails!” (I Corinthians 13:4 – 8).

What a beautiful world it would be if we learned to LOVE as God commands.