and the greatest of these is love. (1Cor. 13:13)
It was not a vengeful God that changed my life. It was not condemning Christians that changed my life. It was not the fear of hell that changed my life. It was not the appearance of life threatening disease that changed my life. It was not the disapproval of my family that changed my life. It was not the loss of all my possessions and sanity that changed my life. It was not Bible school that changed my life. It was not years of church that changed my life. It was not private schools and great education that changed my life. It was not 10 years of seeing a psychiatrist and psychologist that changed my life. It was not being addicted to heroine and cocaine and methamphetamine that changed my life. What changed my life was one Man, one cross, His blood………..JESUS changed my life and Jesus is God and God is love. Love changed my life.
The most powerful weapon we have as Christians is love. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself; is not puffed up, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails!
As you search through this description of what love is, do not be discouraged that most of the time we fail to walk in love. Very few have mastered all of the wholeness of love. What we should be working on is recognizing where we fall short and asking God to help us to be who He wants us to be. In our own humanity, we can not achieve the fullness of love. In our human nature this great love is opposing to who we are. Now, as children of the living God, we can call upon Him to mold us into the image of His Son. To make us who He wants us to be. To fill us with His great love to demonstrate to others, ourselves and ultimately to God. If we fall into the trap of believing we can obtain perfect love apart from God, we fool ourselves because God is love. In seeking God, we are seeking love.
Love is so misunderstood in western society. It is seen as a feeling that we have towards someone that we like as a person or that we have an attraction to. That, does not love make. Love is an action, not a feeling. Love does, it does not just feel. We can see clearly that when the scriptures say, “for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever will be believe in Him will not perish but have everlasting life”, that God’s love was attached to the action of Him giving His Son. Love always has action attached to it otherwise it is just vain words. Love will always tell the truth even though it hurts and love will always guide to the next step regardless if it feels painful at the time. Love does not condone sinful lifestyles and accept them, love points the way to Christ for those who are lost while being kind to them as room is made for them to transition in God’s way of doing things. The modern church has traded in love for tolerance and no where in the Bible did Jesus preach tolerance of anything that opposes His word. Jesus preached love. He preached long suffering and kindness and then there were times he turned money tables over and called people vipers. All that He did was love because He brought truth wherever He went. Truth without love isn’t truth and love without truth isn’t love.
Seek love.
Pastor Michael Cannatello
TMMC
The Teaching Ministry of Michael Cannatello
