LOVE....

"If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 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."

~1 Corinthians 13:1-3

It is clearly stated throughout God's word that love is very important. Now when you think of love, your mind may wander back to some old sappy movie of true love. You know the movie, most include a boy from the wrong side of the tracks and a rich girl who are perfect for each other. They eventually end up together in some cliche way and live happily ever after. But as we Christians know, God's idea of things and the world's idea of things are most often very different, and love is no exception. The world depicts love as a one night stand, a random meet at a bar, a lustful thought, and even an excuse to break up a marriage. The world paints love as an easy picture, when in fact understanding love is one of the hardest things you will ever learn.  So, what is God's idea of love?

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

WOW! Now how many of us can say that we know a love that is the perfect definition of that? It's definitely not the world's picture of love. I will never forget when I married my husband, the wife of my former pastor gave us a framed version of 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. I will never forget that hard first year of trying to figure each other out, and every time we found ourselves upset with each other I found myself looking at it. Praying, "Father, make us love each other like that". Now I will in no way say that Justin and I have it all figured out or are even close to God's definition of love. But I think what keeps us going is the fact that even though we fail daily, we want to be like God's love. Will it ever be perfect? No, and anyone who tells you it will be is not being honest. But God longs for those who strive for Him, and He promises that He will help those who long for Him. We can go through life doing many great things, but it will do us no good if we never love. God's love is what gave us salvation. We owe everything to this love. How many times have you heard, "you'll never see a U-haul attached to the Hersch"? We can't take anything with us when we leave this earth. Everything we leave behind will perish, at some point and time it will get worn out or broke and wither away, except for love. Love is something that can be passed on and down generation after generation.

Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

~1 Corinthians 13:13

Love is not a place
To come and go as we please
It's a house we enter in
And then commit to never leave
So lock the door behind you
Throw away the key
We'll work it out together
Let it bring us to our knees

Love is a shelter in a raging storm
Love is peace in the middle of a war
If we try to leave may God send angels to guard the door
No, love is not a fight but it's something worth fighting for

To some, love is a word that they can fall into
But when they're falling out
Keeping that word is hard to do

Love is a shelter in a raging storm
Love is peace in the middle of a war
If we try to leave may God send angels to guard the door
No, love is not a fight but it's something worth fighting for

Love will come to save us, if we'll only call
He will ask nothing from us, but demand we give our all

Love is a shelter in a raging storm
Love is peace in the middle of a war
If we try to leave may God send angels to guard the door
No, love is not a fight but it's something worth fighting for

I would fight for you, would you fight for me?
It's worth fighting for.