Acquire The Love
Acquire the Love.
1 Corinthians 14:1-3 in the Amplified Bible says:
Eagerly pursue and seek to acquire [this] love [make it your aim, your great quest]; and eagerly desire and cultivate the spiritual endowments (gifts), especially that you may prophesy (interpret the divine will and purpose in inspired preaching and teaching).
For one who speaks in an [unknown] tongue speaks not to men but to God, for no one understands or catches his meaning, because the [Holy] Spirit he utters secret truths and hidden things [not obvious to the understanding].
But [on the other hand], the one who prophesies [who interprets the divine will and purpose in inspired preaching and teaching] speaks to men for their upbuilding and constructive spiritual progress and encouragement and consolation.
I find it very interesting that the Spirit of God directed Paul who wrote this letter to the Corinthians to combine eagerly seeking God’s love with desiring to prophesy, that is, to interpret the divine will and purpose of God.
As you and I pursue knowing God and His Love, which are one, we will know God’s purpose, God’s plan, God’s desire, God’s will not only for us, but also for the Body of Christ as a whole. We are a part of the whole. It is God’s aim to have all of us on the same page at once. The only way we will ever be on the same page is through Him. And since God is love, we must all be pursuing His love in order to be on the same page.
In 1 John 3:1 we read that the Father Himself has bestowed on us His awesome love. He has given it to us. In Romans 5:5 we read that the love of God has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us. We have been given the Love of God. God deposited Himself in our hearts the moment we were born again, the moment we asked Him to come into our hearts and He lives there, abides there forever. So, we have His Love inside us. Then the question is this: Why isn’t His love demonstrated in us and in our lives? Why don’t we see the Body of Christ acting in unity in His love? We all have those questions.
The place to start with these questions is in our own lives. We need to ask the Holy Spirit of God to do a love checkup on us. Whatever He tells us to correct, we need to allow Him to correct. We can’t do it ourselves. We have tried that for years, haven’t we. The greatest favor we can do ourselves today is to yield ourselves to the Love of God, to the Spirit of God. Do a work in me. Mold me, shape me, conform me to Your image, O Lord. And Your image is Love, O God.
What does God’s love look like? Well, first of all, His love is not an emotional high, as human love is. His love is a decision we make to love someone. We are commanded to love everyone. The word here is not like but love. You may not like the personality of someone. You may not like the way they do things. You just may not like them as a person. You don’t have to like them. You are commanded to love them.
God’s love gives. You give of yourself and your resources for others. But you don’t give to be recognized; you give because the love of God compels you to give. You can’t help yourself. You must give. That is the way God is. For God so LOVED the world that HE GAVE His only begotten Son….God is forever giving to the ones He loves, which is every one of us, whether we have accepted Him or not.
In 1 John 2:5,6 we read that whosoever keeps His Word, in him surely the love of God is perfected, reaches maturity. He that says he abides in God ought to walk as He walks. And in 1 John 3:16-18 we read in the Amplified Bible: By this we come to know (progressively to recognize, to perceive, to understand) the [essential] love: that He laid down His [own] life for us; and we ought to lay [our] lives down for [those who are our] brothers [in Him]. But if anyone has this world’s goods (resources for sustaining life) and sees his brother and fellow believer in need, yet closes his heart of compassion against him, how can the love of God live and remain in him? Little children, let us not love [merely] in theory or in speech but in deed and in truth (in practice and in sincerity).
We see in the scripture the way that we are to live in the love of God. We cannot do it on our own or in our own abilities. We all know that. We have tried it, haven’t we, and failed time after time. Today, ask the Holy Spirit to take over and teach you how to live in the love of God. It is the most rewarding and satisfying walk that any of us can have. Enjoy the Love.
1 Corinthians 14:1-3 in the Amplified Bible says:
Eagerly pursue and seek to acquire [this] love [make it your aim, your great quest]; and eagerly desire and cultivate the spiritual endowments (gifts), especially that you may prophesy (interpret the divine will and purpose in inspired preaching and teaching).
For one who speaks in an [unknown] tongue speaks not to men but to God, for no one understands or catches his meaning, because the [Holy] Spirit he utters secret truths and hidden things [not obvious to the understanding].
But [on the other hand], the one who prophesies [who interprets the divine will and purpose in inspired preaching and teaching] speaks to men for their upbuilding and constructive spiritual progress and encouragement and consolation.
I find it very interesting that the Spirit of God directed Paul who wrote this letter to the Corinthians to combine eagerly seeking God’s love with desiring to prophesy, that is, to interpret the divine will and purpose of God.
As you and I pursue knowing God and His Love, which are one, we will know God’s purpose, God’s plan, God’s desire, God’s will not only for us, but also for the Body of Christ as a whole. We are a part of the whole. It is God’s aim to have all of us on the same page at once. The only way we will ever be on the same page is through Him. And since God is love, we must all be pursuing His love in order to be on the same page.
In 1 John 3:1 we read that the Father Himself has bestowed on us His awesome love. He has given it to us. In Romans 5:5 we read that the love of God has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us. We have been given the Love of God. God deposited Himself in our hearts the moment we were born again, the moment we asked Him to come into our hearts and He lives there, abides there forever. So, we have His Love inside us. Then the question is this: Why isn’t His love demonstrated in us and in our lives? Why don’t we see the Body of Christ acting in unity in His love? We all have those questions.
The place to start with these questions is in our own lives. We need to ask the Holy Spirit of God to do a love checkup on us. Whatever He tells us to correct, we need to allow Him to correct. We can’t do it ourselves. We have tried that for years, haven’t we. The greatest favor we can do ourselves today is to yield ourselves to the Love of God, to the Spirit of God. Do a work in me. Mold me, shape me, conform me to Your image, O Lord. And Your image is Love, O God.
What does God’s love look like? Well, first of all, His love is not an emotional high, as human love is. His love is a decision we make to love someone. We are commanded to love everyone. The word here is not like but love. You may not like the personality of someone. You may not like the way they do things. You just may not like them as a person. You don’t have to like them. You are commanded to love them.
God’s love gives. You give of yourself and your resources for others. But you don’t give to be recognized; you give because the love of God compels you to give. You can’t help yourself. You must give. That is the way God is. For God so LOVED the world that HE GAVE His only begotten Son….God is forever giving to the ones He loves, which is every one of us, whether we have accepted Him or not.
In 1 John 2:5,6 we read that whosoever keeps His Word, in him surely the love of God is perfected, reaches maturity. He that says he abides in God ought to walk as He walks. And in 1 John 3:16-18 we read in the Amplified Bible: By this we come to know (progressively to recognize, to perceive, to understand) the [essential] love: that He laid down His [own] life for us; and we ought to lay [our] lives down for [those who are our] brothers [in Him]. But if anyone has this world’s goods (resources for sustaining life) and sees his brother and fellow believer in need, yet closes his heart of compassion against him, how can the love of God live and remain in him? Little children, let us not love [merely] in theory or in speech but in deed and in truth (in practice and in sincerity).
We see in the scripture the way that we are to live in the love of God. We cannot do it on our own or in our own abilities. We all know that. We have tried it, haven’t we, and failed time after time. Today, ask the Holy Spirit to take over and teach you how to live in the love of God. It is the most rewarding and satisfying walk that any of us can have. Enjoy the Love.
posted by Rev. Kialeen Potterton @ 6:11 AM
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