Tuesday 28 Feb 2017

February 28: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 13:8
Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

Devotion:
If you have ever wondered about the true meaning of charity (or love), you now know it! Charity or love is something which must agree with all of these points, not in part, but all of them, not slightly, but fully! If you are looking to find out whether your love towards others is true, then you need to reflect upon each of these aspects of love. Each of them has to be fulfilled entirely! We are not only talking about “the one true love in your life” but the love which we should have towards everyone! Christ's love for us was not in part, but total and He wants us to continue that love towards others.(John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.)

If we are falling short in any one of these aspects in our love towards others, then we have to look into why we are and sort it out before we cause conflict within ourselves. The more that conflict builds up within ourselves, the more we are unable to extend our love towards others as Christ has told us to do. Once that imperfection is allowed to take grip, it starts to spread through us.

When Christ wanted to tell us how we should love, His words in Matthew 22:39 state how we need to love others as we love ourselves. This does not mean we need to have a huge affection for ourselves, but rather that we need to look out for those around us as we do look out for ourselves. He has a build-in desire to continue living and looking out for ourselves. That desire should spread to those around us as well!

But the first and foremost love we should have is for God. Matthew 22:37 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all they heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. If our love for God is not reflected in this definition of charity today, then we are falling short of the mark...

Points to Ponder:
How deep is your love towards others?

Try to love others as much as Christ showed for us!