There is Love

February 5, 2012

1 Corinthians 13

THERE IS LOVE (Paul Stookey)

- Wedding Song -

He is now to be among you at the calling of your hearts.
Rest assured this troubador is acting on His part.
The union of your spirits here has caused Him to remain,
for whenever two or more of you are gathered in His name,
There is love. There is love.

Oh, a man shall leave his mother, and a woman leave her home.
They will travel on to where the two will be as one.
As it was in the beginning, is now until the end,
woman draws her life from man
and gives it back again and there is love.
Oh, there's love.

Well then what's to be the reason for becoming man and wife?
Is it love that brings you here or love that brings you life?
For is loving is the answer then who's the giving for?
Do you believe in something that you've never seen before?
Oh, there's love. There is love.

He is now to be among you at the calling of your hearts.
Rest assured this troubador is acting on His part.
The union of your spirits here has caused Him to remain
for whenever two or more of you are gathered in His name
there is love. Oh, there is love.

Lyrics retrieved from http://www.romantic-lyrics.com/lt4.shtml 

Some people love themselves so much they look at themselves in the mirror and don’t move. And think that’s love. That’s not love. Love is other focused.

To love means a leaving of something and a cleaving to. And God is in the midst of it.

Is it love that brings us here or love that brings us life? Both.

Relationships require faith.

1 Corinthians 13

 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

 What is it, this thing called love?

We always want to see in our relationships, in our friendships that we can care about the person we are in a relationship with; to see that we can have their best interest at heart. Paul puts the love chapter between the chapters on spiritual gifts and prophecy because we need to understand that no matter what we have it depends on how we perform it that matters to God. In the world it’s about size, it’s about position but in chapter 13, we can talk so well that sugar melts but without love that is nothing but noise. If I’m spiritual and serving God I can pray well and know the scripture backward and forward but if I don’t have love I’m useless. I can give to charity or nail myself to a cross but without love it profits nothing. Love is the end because God is love, He is loving because he is love. All that he is comes from love. (v1-3)

Love suffers. Why? This world has become so messed up screwed up we don’t know what love is and have lost the definition of it. We are a selfish world, self-focused, self-absorbed. This is why love suffers. We put out our love-scope and along the way we meet people who won’t receive it. 

Love doesn’t just accept anything. It waits.

Love is kind. In the waiting our kindness dwindles as we keep getting knocked down. We want to give it as it’s dished out.

It does not boast, but we parade ourselves and ask, “Don’t I look good?”

Love is not easily provoked. That’s tough. God is a perfect example of the right knid of love. He has justification to destroy us but doesn’t.

Love thinks no evil. We find this difficult when people do us wrong.

Love never fails. We fail, a lot of things fail but love never fails. Love isn’t in us. You hurt me I’ll hurt you more. This love is not God's love.

We want to love the right way and be loved this way. The only way that we can is by God enabling us to do so.

Love is an unconditional decision, sometimes deliberate, sometimes responsive. But it is ALWAYS a decision.

When we walk up and look on the other side of the bed or see friends we have to decide, will I talk to them today. It is a decision to actively care for, build up, be committed to, to be honest with, and to love someone else. Not I love you if, I love you because… It’s just I love you.

Love requires an invitation and a response to be complete. If that’s the case you have to move on. The inviter and the responder have to be self-less and other focused. It’s dangerous when we meet vain, selfish people because there is no real connection there. 

There is no such thing as falling in love. You grow into love. We never fall down and say yes, that was great. Falling is not a good thing. We block things out because we love the person and then later on it becomes a big issue. 

In the process of loving, what do I have to offer? In friendships and relationship, what do you bring to the relationship? Love is honest, it doesn’t lie. If you see things in a person you love, challenge them on it. You don’t watch someone you love jump off a cliff hoping someone will catch them.

Love doesn’t know everything. We say I know you, I know why you did that. Instead we should be willing to ask why. We feel we are perfect but we are not. We can struggle together to become perfect in God. It takes two in both friendships and relationships. Love says you are of value to me and I want you to blossom as God intended. Flowers don’t water themselves.

Love is mature. We have to be able to say we are wrong. Part of life is about saying you messed up. Its about maturity. We don’t know stuff about ourselves and are unwilling to find out. But we can’t love someone if we are not willing to be self-reflective.

If God is really love, He can lead us to grow in love. When you allow God to touch your life you don’t know how you will touch someone else’s life. God’s love in you will lead others to be touched by you. For if love is the answer… God’s love changes our whole life. It is a healing love and we can begin to love like He loves. The first thing he heals is our souls. It begins with a step of faith. God’s love penetrates any and everything.

There is love, will we allow his love to touch us and to heal us?

Pastor Pete