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Christianity love

Real Love Never Fails

Real Love Never Fails

Today is Valentine’s Day. It is a time when we celebrate love. Most likely, we think of romantic love. And I certainly am a fan of romance. However, romance can be fickle and temporary. Real love that never fails. What kind of love is that?

“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.”

1 Corinthians 13:4-5

A few years back, I wrote a post on five reasons kids need Valentine’s Day. In it, I wrote that kids need to see love in action. That is even more true in the last couple of years. Love had been hard to find in a pandemic. The kind of love the Apostle Paul writes about in 1 Corinthians 13 is hard to come by, but so desperately desired in this modern world.

Cartoon of a boy holding a valentine and a jaded girl

A World of Love

Just think what kind of world it would be if we rediscovered unconditional love. We would turn away from the selfishness that is killing us inside and begin to look at others as friends instead of enemies.

It would begin to melt fear because perfect love casts it out. I like one version of 1 John 4:18. “It says fear has torment.” How many of us are tormented in today’s world by fear? Could it be that the answer is to be made perfect in love?

The Courage of Love

It is a far cry from what the world prescribes for fear. Most advice we hear is to act angry and to be courageous. However, it is just as possible for love to bring courage instead of anger. We don’t have to act like jerks to eliminate fear. Courage brought on by love brings far less collateral damage than anger and aggression.

This day is named after a man who showed love to others even unto martyrdom. At the time of his death, most would have thought his sacrifice was meaningless. After all, just another Christian was executed. Yet, his courage that was brought on by love is a message for us today.

There is power in it because real love never fails.

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Christianity

Stand or Fall

There was a time when I would read the Old Testament and would smirk at how the Israelites would stumble and fall. Today, I realize no matter who we are, we all must take care to see whether we stand or fall. The Apostle Paul talks about this in 1 Corinthians 10.

“Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”

1 Corinthians 10:12 (KJV)

Paul warned us that we are no better than anyone else. If God was with the Israelites in the wilderness, if He gave them everything they needed to survive, and yet they still made mistakes of unfaithfulness and sin, what makes us think they would be any different.

Pride blinds us from seeing potential trouble. It makes us believe we can do no wrong. Then when our sins are exposed, it keeps us from admitting we messed up. It happened to King David, and the scriptures say he was a man after God’s own heart. What makes us think it couldn’t happen to us?

When I am at a factory, there are signs everywhere that remind me of hazards. There are potentials to slip, trip, and fall on every factory floor. The person who thinks it will never happen to them is the one most likely to end up in the emergency room.

We don’t avoid slipping hazards by thinking it will never happen to us. Every factory employee knows slips, trips, and falls can happen anywhere if they aren’t paying attention. Pride comes before a fall.

Cartoon of a boy who is about to fall into a manhole. Another boy says, "I'm sorry you were proud. Just stop!"
Yes, pride comes before a fall!

On this Sunday morning, I plan to take a time of self-examination. What am I not seeing that could be potential trouble? Am I looking down on someone that is no worse than me? Could it be that their fall is a warning to me?

We may think we are standing when in reality, we may be on the ground in the muck of the gutter. It’s very sobering to remind myself that there are slip and trip hazards all around us.

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children's ministry Christianity love

Loving Your Neighbor

This morning, I am going to be teaching kids what it means to love your neighbor. As I’m thinking about this, I naturally tend to think about Mr. Rogers. He had a nice way of making difficult concepts simple. Here is one of his quotes.

“When we look for what’s best in the person we happen to be with at the moment, we’re doing what God does, so in appreciating our neighbor, we’re participating in something truly sacred.”

Fred Rogers

We teach our kids to immediately be suspicious of others. We tell our kids to be aware of “stranger danger.” And it is good to help our kids have awareness of potential hazards. Unfortunately, there are evil people out there.

But there are also good people out there. There are ways to nurture giving in our children. And really, loving our neighbor is all about being generous. We can love because we are thankful for what we have and can give to those around us who are in need.

But what if our neighbors have no material needs? We all need to be recognized and affirmed. It may look different for each person. Some may want to be left alone. If so, what are ways we can show love by being considerate and generous?

In a world that teaches us to be scared of our neighbors, I am thinking today about how to treat my neighbor like I would want to be treated. How do we become good neighbors?

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Christianity Christmas holiday

Christmas Stress

Christmas Stress

Frequently, we feel less peace and joy and more Christmas stress. With two days to go, it feels like the stress level has gotten to an all-time high.

  • That special toy the daughter wants won’t be available until next Christmas… or the next decade
  • Travel looks to be getting complicated with another wave of the virus. Should we even go to Granny’s?
  • The office has never been this busy before Christmas. Where did all this business come from anyway?

Christmas stress has always been prevalent. I wrote about it and drew this cartoon in 2012. But of course, the last two years have had added layers of stress. We just don’t know what the future holds. Short-term and long-term planning seems impossible.

Cartoon of a boy with a wreath on his head

What do we do when the stress is getting to us? How can we keep from taking it out on our loved ones with a strategically placed wreath? Slow down, take a deep breath and remember the reason for the season.

“When they [Magi or Wise Men] saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

“And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.”

Matthew 2:10–11 (KJV) via Bible Gateway.com

Remember the Why

Why do we celebrate? It isn’t about any of these:

  • The perfect present under the tree
  • Getting together with family
  • A Martha Stewart, or Pioneer Woman-inspired spread on a snowy Christmas morning

It is about a baby and the hope he brought a cold, dark world. The winter solstice has come and the days are already getting longer. Winter will be here for a while, but summer is coming. The Light of the World has come into the world as well. We can slow down, celebrate, and know things will be all right.

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Christianity Christmas holiday

The Fourth Sunday of Advent is About Love

Advent Candles

The Fourth Sunday of Advent reminds us that Jesus came to earth because of agapé love. Jesus didn’t just teach about love, he showed it, then encouraged his followers to do the same. It’s the crescendo of a month of anticipation.

When we feel gratitude for receiving hope, peace, and joy, love flows freely. It makes life much easier.

“Faith makes all things possible… love makes all things easy.”
Dwight L. Moody

Dwight L. Moody Quotes. BrainyQuote.com, BrainyMedia Inc, 2021. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/dwight_l_moody_157630, accessed December 19, 2021.

The word for love in the original Greek text is “agapé.” it is interpreted as an unconditional, unmerited, goodwill; a willful act. It is an action, not just a feeling. As a result, we can love others when they aren’t very lovable.

Nobody can fall out of agapé love. It is a choice that goes beyond feelings. When we realize what God did for us in love, it makes us reconsider how we treat others.

One of my favorite Christmas songs is When Love Came Down by Point of Grace.

Point Of Grace: When Love Came Down (Live in Wichita, KS 2015)

Christmas is coming! We have a week to prepare. But it’s about more than the presents. It’s about agapé love. We can love others because love came down on the first Christmas. Because He showed us, we can have hope, peace, joy, and love. May you experience it and be able to show it as we enter the final week of Christmas.