SOMETHING OF SIGNIFICANCE SERIES:
LOVE IS WHAT YOU NEED!
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:13
But the greatest of these is
LOVE!”
So Faith is obviously gigantic on God’s hit list!
Also, HOPE gives us confidence, Hebrews 11:1, that what we are praying for will actually happen and is on its way!
After much study and contemplation, I realized why the greatest force in life is God’s LOVE! This is because it is the FOUNDATION that FAITH and HOPE are built upon and is the very essence of God himself!
Just as all building structures, whether they are houses or commercial buildings, etc., require the foundation or substructure to be carefully laid so that everything involved in the superstructure will rest on it properly, God’s LOVE in us and flowing out of us has to be the FOUNDATION our lives are built upon!
How do we know when we are acting in God’s LOVE and not some worldly surface idea of what love is?
The Holy Spirit has given us a Check List, a guideline, of what Love is and what it is not in 1Corinthians 13:4-7!
Why is it so important that we are aware of the intricacies of what God deems qualifying factors for our love walk as Christians?
I remember passing by an Auto Service Garage one day and there was a large sign out front that said:
RED LIGHT FLASHING?
Better get it checked out before something BIG happens!
In my personal experiences through the years, if I had noted a “red light flashing” in my spirit, I would have acted and reacted differently to various situations and saved myself from BIG happenings that would have turned out very different, I believe, if I had focused on God’s Love Check List and applied it!
So, here goes the Holy Spirit’s list of Love qualifiers:
Love is Patient!
(Having patience with imperfect
people)
Love is kind!
(Active in doing good)
Love does not envy!
(Because it actually wants other
people to get ahead)
Love does not parade itself!
(Not claiming attention for
oneself)
Love is not puffed up!
(Does not treat others arrogantly)
Love does not behave rudely!
(But displays good manners and
courtesy)
Love does not seek its own!
(Insisting on its own rights,
demanding precedence; rather, it is unselfish)
Love is not easily provoked!
(It is not irritable or touchy,
rough or hostile, but is graceful under pressure.)
Love thinks no evil!
(It does not keep an account of
wrongs done to it, instead, it erases resentments.)
Love does not rejoice in iniquity!
(Finding satisfaction in the
shortcomings of others and spreading an evil report)
Love rejoices in the Truth!
(Aggressively advertising the
good)
Love Bears All Things!
(Defending and holding people up)
Love Believes the best of others!
(Credits them with good
intentions, and is not suspicious)
Love always Hopes!
(Never gives up but affirms the
future)
Love always Perseveres!
(Remains loyal even under
pressure)
Love never fails!
(God’s way of doing things never
fails!)
(Commentary from Spirit-Life
Bible, NKJ)
In light of the above, there is a very interesting story of how two of Jesus’ close disciples reacted to an uncomfortable situation that has similarities to the environment we find ourselves in today:
“As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem and he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him, but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem.
When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us TO CALL FIRE DOWN from heaven to destroy them?” But Jesus turned and corrected them and said, “You do not know of which Spirit you are!”
Wow! Here are two of Jesus’ close disciples reacting instead of acting!
Notice, Jesus did not tell them it
was not possible for them to call down “fire” to destroy them! Was He correcting them for forgetting who
they represented, which was to be a representative of His Father’s LOVE, or was
He cautioning them about releasing “Words” and “Actions” that had the potential to destroy what He was
here to build?
Jesus brother, James said something that may bring clarity:
“…In the same way, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it boasts of great things. Consider how small a spark sets a great forest ablaze. The tongue also is a fire, a world of wickedness among the parts of the body. It pollutes the whole person, sets the course of his life on fire, and is itself set on FIRE by hell.” James 3:5-6
It is often easy to be hard on people with different opinions than ours and to quickly make harsh judgements instead of praying prayers of faith for them.
Could Jesus have been making the point that He wanted his disciples to be cognizant that they were on Heaven’s team, members of the “God’s squad,” and should not be acting for the “enemies’ team” by calling down fire and destruction just because people weren’t seeing it their way?
It is much the same way today, there are so many opposing forces, opinions and passions surrounding family, friends, political parties, cultures and ethnic groups, that it is easy to get caught up in our emotions and react the same way James and John did.
How then can we, as children of God, be used to bring about changes in the world for His glory?
The Apostle Paul told Timothy to enlist people to pray the following way:
“I urge you, FIRST OF ALL, to pray for ALL people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior who wants EVERYONE to be SAVED and to UNDERSTAND THE TRUTH.”
Some FOOD for Thought concerning the above prayer list:
First of All, Pray for ALL people! What? I think most of us many times would want to get on James and John’s team!
Intercede, which means to intervene on behalf of another? “For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field. God’s building. 1 Cor. 3:9
This means, as the Body of Christ, God releases His desire for people and nations through the intercessory prayers of His people!
Give thanks for ALL people? Don’t we, in all honesty, often find it difficult to even like some people, much less praying for and thanking God for them; but here, he is saying God wants us to give THANKS for them!
Pray for leaders and ALL in authority around the world? Pray what?:
“That they will be saved, and come to understand the truth!”
He is saying this is how we can be part of changing men’s hearts—pray for leaders of nations that they will accept Jesus and come to understand how God’s kingdom works! Faith works by Love! Galatians 5:6
God says this is the good way to pray and really pleases Him because His heart’s desire is that EVERYONE would come to know Jesus and to understand that He is a good God that wants good things for All people!
As we take on the mandate to pray specific prayers as the Holy Spirit leads, in the midst of so much controversy in the world today, even among our family, friends and sphere of influence, we will be “doing good and pleasing God our Savior” by spreading His Love, which is truth, throughout the world.
Our “Faith, Hope and Love” based prayers are important to God:
Once again, James, Jesus’ brother shows us how when we acknowledge how we have “missed the mark” ourselves, it makes it easier to pray more compassionate and earnest prayers for others so they can be healed and restored to a right relationship with God which is what He desires for All!
“Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart].” James 5:16 Amplified
When we are conscious of God’s cleansing and healing Love for us, it gives us confidence to pray powerful faith-filled prayers for others!
….”The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) can accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God—it is dynamic and can have tremendous power]. James 5:16
Jesus said, at the end of the age, right before His return, the love of many would grow cold! Isn’t that what we are seeing all around us?
But, we also find the solution for the turnaround in God’s Word!
Again, Galatians 5:6 “Faith is activated and expressed and works through love.”
Amplified
When I think of what God says is important for our Faith to be activated so that our prayers are answered, my mind takes me back to the UK when I stopped to put gas into the beautiful, high performance car that that I was driving. I stopped at a Petrol Station and didn’t realize that the attendant had put Diesel fuel into the gas tank rather than gasoline. Much to my surprise, almost immediately, as I was driving away, the car started jerking and hesitating and, as I looked into the rear-view mirror, I saw big puffs of black smoke coming from the exhaust pipe!
What had happened? The wrong fuel was put in! What had been a smooth running, special automobile, soon ceased to operate efficiently; not to mention, it looked pretty awful sitting by the roadside instead of fulfilling its purpose! The interesting thing is, the car engine had to be completely flushed out before it would run efficiently again. The right fuel could not just be put on top of the wrong fuel…..it needed a total cleansing; then it was running smooth again!
This week, I had a situation arrive that was a bit uncomfortable and I had the opportunity to put the right fuel into my “spiritual tank” and to apply the “Love Check List” to what I was feeling! Something came up and my mind immediately went to a negative, judgmental thought; but God!….the Red Light started flashing and I chose “Love that thinks the best of others,” and immediately, I felt a sense of God’s presence smiling into the situation!
In much the same way, being aware of the Love Check List above, will help us keep the right fuel in our “spiritual tanks” so that we will not inadvertently be filling up with the wrong fuel, sat by the roadside, but we will be co-workers with God, full of His LOVE, fulfilling His special purposes for our lives and those we pray for!
Final Thought:
King Solomon said: “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; and with all your getting, get understanding.” Proverbs 4:7
As we put into practice each day the wisdom about “God’s Love” that we have learned more about today, I believe we will experience more peace, more faith, more hope, more answered prayers because—LOVE IS TRULY WHAT WE NEED!
