DO I LOVE LIKE GOD DOES?

Not long ago I was talking to friend about love.  A man had professed love but when measured against God’s definition of love, his love failed.  It is easy for me to stop here, having thrown my stones against him.  Yet, I remember Jesus saying let he who is without sin, cast the first stone…I am not without sin.  I am saying this to point out that I also do not measure up to the definition of love.  Yet, I say I love, because if I have not love, I have not God, because God is love. 

The Pastor on Sunday challenged us to put our name in the well-known 1 Corinthians 13 verses.  Am I patient?  Am I kind?  Am I not envious?  Am I not boastful? Am I not proud?  Already I am squirming because I know that sometimes I am impatient, unkind, envious, boastful and proud.  Should I continue through the verses?  Am I not rude? Am I not self-seeking?  Am I not easily angered?  Do I keep no record of wrongs?  Oh my!  I know that I have fallen short of every single item listed here.  I don’t always want to hear the truth, nor do I rejoice in it.  I don’t always protect, trust hope and persevere. 

My “love” fades depending on who it is and what circumstances exist at the time. But God said Love never fails.  It never goes away. It remains, even when everything else will not – Love remains. It never fails.

How about you?  How have you measured up in your love?  If your score is like mine, then join me in this prayer of repentance and plea to the Father:

“Lord, I have read your word and realized how far I am from the mark – your mark of love.  Lord, you placed that definition in Corinthians not to beat me up with something that I can never attain, but to offer me guidance and direction.  Lord, this is your tool that you use to perfect me.  Lord I am glad that you will not allow me to continue in the wrong direction, but you turn me around.  Father, today I pray that you will remove all the things inside of me that is in contradiction to your word.  Remove impatience, mean spiritedness, envy and pride.  Lord, remove that self-seeking attitude and way of thinking that I have at times.  Father, please help me to say kind words so that I can deflect wrath.  Lord, help me to forget wrongs done against me as quickly as they arise, being instead quick to forgive just as you forgive me.  Lord, help me to truly love others as you love them.  In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”