Photo by Jonas Kakaroto on Unsplash
I grew up in a home where I always felt loved by my parents and siblings. It is easier to work through difficulties along our spiritual journey when we are loved and appreciated. Sometimes people don’t grow up in loving families, but when God adopts us into His family all that changes. There is no one more loving than our Lord. There is no one who cares more about you than He does.
The Apostle Paul’s letter to the early church in Corinth gives us amazing insight into the power of 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. 2 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. 3 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. 4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. [1]
Many times, we hear these words during a wedding, but they not only apply to marriage but to everyone one. In our Journey with Guest series, Mike Bradley tells how, as a young man, he heard about the love of Jesus in a Bible study in the armed forces. His friends not only told him about the love of Jesus, but they put the love of Jesus into action. When they put their faith into action, this opened the door for him to place his faith in Jesus.
Who can you show God’s love to? When we demonstrate God’s love towards others, it often gives us an opportunity to share the good news of Jesus. You may be the person that God wants to use to reach another person to draw them into the Kingdom of God.
To hear Mike Bradley’s story, listen here:
[1] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (1 Co 13:1–5). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.