Living Daily What Matters Most Day 2

Doing what God designed us to do under His direction in every season of our life gives us balance, margin and vitality.

~day 2 in a 7 day series ~

LOVING
"the best use of life is love"

1 Corinthians 13.1-7 (the famous Love Chapter) Love is patient and kind....

1 Corinthians 14.1  Let love be your highest goal.

John 13.34-35 Love each other just as I have loved you.

Love is important, to say the least. As humans we can survive without love-- as long as we have food, clothing and shelter, right? But without love, we don't thrive. Without love, life has little meaning, purpose or value. We need love. And just as much as we need love in our lives, we need to give love away.

I have read the Love Chapter from 1 Corinthians many many times. Have heard it read at weddings (including my own) but today as I read it again I was struck with the question "of all the things listed here that show what love is and is not, which ones do I need the most help with?" In other words, where does my love muscle feel the flabbiest? it's kind of like looking at the list of the Fruits of the Spirit (Galations 5.22) and asking which of these do I need to seek after or improve?

The other thing that struck me was the reminder that in order to experience this Quality of Love, I need help. I might start off with good intentions about love but I will fail. I can't tell you how many times I have gotten up from a sweet sweet time with my husband only to find myself moments later snapping at him in a rude prideful way.

I need God's help in order to love the way He loves. And I must be able to receive His Love in order to love myself or others.

There was a song a few years back made popular by Whitney Housten called "The Greatest Love of All" and it had the very nice concept of "learning to love yourself being the greatest love of all"  Now I am not knocking this because I think it is important to love ourselves. We can't love others very well if we have no love of self. But I think that the song misses the mark in that it stops short. Learning to love myself is good but learning that God loves me, accepting His Love, receiving it in full and then, crazy of crazies-- GIVE that Love Away to Others-- that is the fullness of God's Love. Now we are talking Quality Love. Living out love--His Love-- that is the Ultimate.


"The best use of life is love. The best expression of love is time. The best time to love is now." ~Rick Warren