.....Love.....

I have a friend who is by far the kindest person I have ever met. The thing that stood out the most when I first met him was his genuine kindness and how well he loved people around him. I have learned so much from his life. I have learned that (although he is so talented) it doesn't matter how many accomplishments you check off your list, how talented you are or what approval you get. He taught me that value does not come from awards or deeds. What truly matters is that you LOVE people. He's loved me and others with words of encouragement, offers grace repeatedly, forgives immediately, with acts of kindness, and in the way he communicates. This is a lesson I am continuing to learn, and so glad I've had an example of what that looks like. The bible says that if we speak god's word with power,  have faith that moves mountains, give everything to the poor, and are the world's greatest evangelist and speak with eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love. we are nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.  If we do all these acts of good but don't love, our spirits are bankrupt. This is so powerful to me and makes me want to love people so much more and better than I do. My friend put it into perspective about being kind to others the other day using Job 31:15, which says " Did not he who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?"..saying in the passage that, servant or master, God made them both. This also means, sinner, saint, friend, enemy, family, and strangers are to be loved. We are all connected by the same God who made us. We are to love even when it is of no benefit to ourselves  or when it is difficult. We are Christ's, and he did that for us. While we were STILL sinners, He died for us. Love doesn't keep score, or keep record of wrongs, but love simply LOVES with no hidden agenda or expectation of gaining something. This is a lesson I pray I will continue to learn.

Love never gives up.

Love cares more for others than for self.

Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.

Love doesn’t strut,

Doesn’t have a swelled head,

Doesn’t force itself on others,

Isn’t always “me first,”

Doesn’t fly off the handle,

Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,

Doesn’t revel when others grovel,

Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,

Puts up with anything,

Trusts God always,

Always looks for the best,

Never looks back,

But keeps going to the end.

'8-10 Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.

11 When I was an infant at my mother’s breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.

12 We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!

13 But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

Love

Hannah