LOVE

I have often prayed for God to help me love better, but I have to do my part, as well. By this I mean seek out what love is. I found the answer in 1 Corinthians 13. 

 

Love is: 

Patience

Kindness

Not jealous

Not arrogant

Not unbecoming

Not seeking its own

Not being provoked 

Not holding onto wrongs suffered

Rejoicing in truth

Bearing all things

Believing all things

Hoping in all things 

Enduring all things

 

Love goes even further. It is: 

Helping one another

Encouraging one another

Praying for one another 

 

I simply cannot LOVE without a willing heart and God’s help. 

 

My Woe is Gone

     In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Jesus talks about some who may not inherit the kingdom of God. They are the fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate, homosexuals, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, and swindlers, 

     Other scriptures also tell me not to be vengeful, judgmental, an unforgiven, or a lover of earthy idols. 

     I could easily place myself among some of the categories listed and cry, “Woe is me!” Yet, 1 Corinthians 6:11 takes away my, “Woe” because a few “buts” are listed.  

     It says, 

But…you were washed.

But…you were sanctified.

But…you were justified.

     When Jesus laid His LIFE on the Cross, He did it for me. He took my sins and washed them, sanctified them, and justified them so I could inherit the kingdom of God. He took away my “Woe is me!” so I could live better, love better, and glorify Him not only in word but in action.

     He gave me a kingdom inheritance if I believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God, Jesus, my Savior. My "Woe" is gone because I am washed by His blood.

Anniversary

     It is my anniversary, and I have put up with it for 17 years… kindness, patience, endurance, and a God fearing character.  What more can I say?  Oh, yes- I have been blessed!
     I have to admit, my husband does not make beds.  He does not dust furniture or my doo-dads. He does very little to no cooking, but he does do dishes, vacuum, and take out the garbage.  He may sit in a chair while I shop, but he does take me shopping.  I believe you call that patience.  He is  retired and while I still have to crawl out from under the covers to get dressed for work, there is seldom a morning when he does not compliment me before I leave for work.  Anger is not a part of his character.  I could count the times I have seen him even semi-angry on five fingers, never going past my first hand.   The time my jealous dog and him had a stand-off in the hallway, just after we got married, does not count.  When I express a concern, he is never embarrassed to pick up my hand at that moment and pray with me. I do not remember ever hearing him say an unkind word about anyone. 
     The best way to describe my 17 years with my husband would be to simply read 1 Corinthians.  My husband meets all of those qualities, and that is what my husband has given me for the past 17 years.
     Thank you Chuck and “Happy Anniversary!”
   
    1 Corinthians: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”