Aloha Friends!
Today as I was searching for the message the Lord wanted me to learn today, these two words kept coming into my mind - Pursue Love. Maybe because it is from the outpouring of love I have received from so many of you this past weekend that love is on my mind. Of course, when I think of the word "love", 1 Corinthians 13 comes to mind - ("Love is patient, Love is kind, It does not envy..."). While I know this chapter on the surface, I wanted to know how it translated into pursing love. In what ways do I pursue love? I found a great article that took each verse and broke it down. I'll save you from that long article & give to you what I've learned.
Love is seeking kindness in all forms. Love is self-sacrificing NOT self-seeking. Where many problems arise between people is being self-seeking more and loving a lot less. It is loving someone instead of trying to prove you are right. I know I am human and of course struggle with many of these things. I love to be right! I am a woman, aren't I? We are always right! lol. I have this annoying personality trait where when I know I am right, I will do everything to show you why you are wrong - with facts! It's rude. It doesn't come from a place of love & it takes everything in me to stop this self-seeking moment of pride. This type of behavior does only two things: Shows how much of a jerk I am & creates a rift between me and the other person. No one likes to be told they are wrong. No one likes to be wrong. It feels good to be right and shove it in the other persons face. Am I alone in this? Please don't say I'm alone! I don't want to be the only meanie! All joking aside, It is not wrong to be right but it is a meaning of tact, of being sensitive & courteous to others, & having control over our manners. Why is it important to approach conflicts like this? Because it not only keeps relationships intact but it lets both parties learn something from each other without putting a wall up. Most important, it comes from a place of love.
Another verse, which is also in my website address, is "Faith-Hope-Love." This is by far one of my favorite verses & one I always try to remember. The verse reads as this,"Three things will last forever - faith, hope & love - and the greatest of these is love," - 1 Corinthians 13:13 NLT. It is something I want to remind myself everyday in the way I approach others & in the way I speak. I want to live a life of love. I remember when I was 16, I prayed a prayer. I prayed this because of a topic I had with someone who said the only thing that would make him happy in life is having an enormous amount of money. Love would come later. I remember feeling so sad for him, not really grasping why. I remember feeling like he was going to miss out on so much more life had to offer. I prayed this exact prayer, in which I said, "Lord, in my life, please give me love. I do not care if I am flat broke without a penny to my name. All I ask in life is if you will bless me with an abundance of love because I know if it is in your will, money will come and go." I have been reminded about this prayer a few times recently & I am seeing my prayer lived out in my life today. I am so abundantly blessed with love in my life today. I feel like I am the wealthiest person alive. My parents have always told me money will come and go. I have been raised to know money as being just a tool like a shovel or a hammer. It is nice to have & it helps to put food on the table, but it isn't everything.
So my take on today's message is this: Live your life through love. In how you act, in how you speak & in how you treat others. It isn't something we all do not know how to do. We all know how to love each other. It is loving each other when things do not go our way where love shines the most. I say this as a lesson to myself because it is easy to love those who love you. It is harder to love those who don't or who disagree with you. Jesus teaches us to love everyone, including our enemy. He also teaches us to love each other by putting others first, before ourselves. To answer my question, how can I pursue love? I can pursue love by actively putting others before myself. I can pursue love by being more sensitive to others feelings when it comes to being right & wrong. And I can pursue love by speaking truth in my own struggles & helping others where I can in their struggles. I have so much love I want to give back to everyone. I always want to make sure it comes across in the right way and from a good place in my heart. I can never thank you all enough for the love you have for me! I pray you all know how much I love you.
As I sat here, reading through scripture & reading the bible study I found this morning, I couldn't help but sit and smile. So many people have flicked through my mind like a movie reel who are the epitome of love. I smiled because the Lord blessed me by just knowning them. The bible study also touched on a lot about applying this scripture to our marriage. I am so happy because Jason expresses so many of these traits in our marriage. I am so incredibly blessed to have such a loving husband. I'll even go as far as saying the Lord has blessed with me amazing animals who are all bundles of love. I think when it is easy to count the negatives in life, it is better to count the blessings. Love conquers all.
What are your thoughts on love? In what ways do you pursue biblical love? Are there areas in your life where you can pursue love more? Let me know! Share your thoughts! I'd love to hear your take on what I have learned today.
God Bless!
Brittany Bowman
"Cure selfishness, & you plant a Garden of Eden." - R.C.H. Lenski
Link:
1.) Here is the link that inspired my lesson today: https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-5-what-love-looks-1-corinthians-134-7
