Growing In LOVE...just in time for Valentines Day!

"...but the greatest of these is LOVE."
    1 Corinthians 13:13

      Jesus gave us the definition of LOVE in 1 Corinthians 13, although not many of us could see ourselves in that definition. As believers, we are to seek to grow in love...not that we have obtained it as Paul said, but that we press forward in our upward call to LOVE as JESUS loved. This is not an easy task and becomes obvious when we insert our name in 1 Corinthians 13 in the place of the word LOVE. It's then, that we discover that we aren't really as loving as we thought. When Jesus is our standard of love we see love as it was intended to be...perfect, complete and lacking nothing. As we grow in our relationship with Jesus, we naturally grow in the area of LOVE also. We become more patient and kind, more humble and polite, more others minded and less us minded, more holy, more truthful, we have more faith, more hope and more endurance. Instead of inserting just my name...it would be more appropriate if I inserted my name and the word "more". Then, it would read; "Michelle is "more" patient and kind...and so on...understanding the fact that we're all under construction helps us to be patient with the work that God is doing in us...knowing that He has begun a good work in us and promises to see it though to the end. But, how is this accomplished...how do I grow more in the area LOVE? I want to love my spouse more, my kids more, my family more, my neighbors, and co-workers and others more, but I'm in this flesh and at war daily with it! How do I win, you might say?

There is hope! Praise God...there's hope! We don't have to settle for half- hearted love, complacent love or hypocritical love. We can have real genuine love...love that come straight from Jesus. But, it does cost. It's costs your pride, it costs your time, it costs your flesh...to love as Jesus loved requires death. For God demonstrated what real love truly looks like when He sent His only Son to the earth to die for us. Real love takes death. The more you die the better! Paul said  in Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ, I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." The more we die to our flesh the less we recognize the old person and the more we look like a new creature in Christ. Because we have seen what real love looks like, we have a model that we are to strive for. As we die to our flesh and begin to abide in faith and hope, love is the natural byproduct. We are to live, dwell and remain in the Word, in prayer, in fellowship, and in service...and the more we live there in that place... the more we become like Jesus...who is the definition of love. Will we ever attain perfect love? No...not while we are here on earth, but we are to seek to be more like Jesus in the area of love while we are here...until we see Him face to face, then we will be perfected. Until then...we can remember a little acronym for
LOVE to better help us ...

L...less of me
O...others first
V...valentines
E...everyday

May the Lord fill us with His Spirit and empower us to love as He loved!

Unattractive Wrappings...the diamond within

   Have you ever been at a Christmas party where there is a white elephant gift exchange? Does anybody really know what one of those is anyway? Is it a joke gift, a used gift, or a gift under $10?  Regardless, when I chose a gift, I usually go for the one with the nicest wrapping. But, that’s not always a good indication of what’s inside. Often times it will be an old sock or a broken coffee mug.  But with the Lord, its often the other way around…ugly, detestable wrapping with a beautiful priceless gem on the inside.

This is the case with diamonds. They are found in the rough, meaning that they are unpolished and their beauty is unseen. They appear in their natural form as an ugly grey stone that most people would skip right over. They haven’t reached their full potential and only a skilled craftsman can see the beauty of the rough grey stone.  
I recently read about the discovery of the  most magnificent diamond in the history of the world. It was found in an African mine, and presented to the king of England to embellish his crown.  The King sent it to Amsterdam to be cut by an expert stonecutter. The expert took the stone of priceless value and cut a notch in it. Then he struck it one hard time with his hammer, and the majestic jewel fell into his hand, broken in two.

Most of us would look at this act as careless and foolish, but what we fail to see is that the expert studied and planned for days, even weeks how exactly with one blow of the hammer he would create not only one, but two magnificent stones. Only in the hands of a skilled professional could this be accomplished. The highly skilled stonecutter saw what others couldn’t see. He saw the full potential of the diamond. He saw that deep within the diamond were actually two priceless stones on not just one.

Likewise, the Lord alone can see our full potential. He sees a diamond in the rough and what's really on the inside. He allows a stinging blow to fall upon us. We feel the pain and agony of discomfort, we think; “this must be a mistake”, but it’s not. God allows discomfort and pain to form us into the most precious jewels in the world, for He is the most skilled stonecutter in the universe.  And one day, when He’s done with His chiseling and hammering,  we’ll be a beautiful jewel adorning the crown of the King of Kings. Hang in there if you are in the midst of some discomfort today...know that the Master Craftsman is making you into something only He can see, something very  beautiful...a refection of Himself. "I know the plans I have for you", says the Lord, "…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11. Trust Him...He knows what He's doing!