If you've been a student of the Bible for any amount of time, you are hopefully aware of the Love Chapter found in 1 Corinthians 13. Here is a portion:
"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
"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.
"Love never fails." (verses 1-8)
No wonder we go back to those verses over and over again to be reminded of how we are to live. But as a reminder of why we are to live this way, let's go back and reread these verses a little differently. Take a minute to read these verses again, but this time substitute the word "love" with the word "God," and the word "it" with the word "He" when appropriate. You'll get the hang of it. Remember...God is love.
Did you try it? Did the verses take on new meaning?
When we share love with those around us--not just kindness, but real compassionate love--we are sharing God. We are bringing the presence of God into their lives and into the world. He has called us to be His ambassadors. What in the world is more important than that?
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