1 Corinthians 13 for Today
1. Though I can speak five languages and talk intelligently on dozens of subjects, if I don't have enough love to keep from gossiping or putting down others, I'm not just making so much useless noise, I'm being downright destructive.
2. And though I read the Bible regularly and even know parts of it by heart, and though I pray daily and have a lot of faith and other spiritual gifts, if I don't have enough love to sometimes sacrifice some of my personal desires for others' sakes, then all of my "spirituality" amounts to nothing.
3. And though I work two jobs to provide for my family, and though I give to charity and volunteer for every community project that comes up, if I don't show love and kindness to those I live and work with, all my hard work and self-sacrifice are worthless.
4. Love has a long, hard, frustrating day at the office, yet doesn't get snappy and short-tempered. Love is happy for the other guy when he gets all the breaks. Love doesn't have to drive the flashiest car, live in the biggest house, or have all the latest gadgets. Love doesn't always have to be the boss or have the last word.
5. Love isn't rude or crude, isn't selfish, and doesn't gripe, guilt-trip, or pressure others to get what it wants. Love is too busy being concerned about the needs of others to spend much time worrying about its own. Love doesn't freak out when things don't go its way. Love is quick to believe the best about people and slow to believe the rest.
6. Love hates to hear gossip and instead wants only to talk about others' good qualities and the good that they've done. Love knows that what it listens to, watches, or reads will affect its attitudes and actions and thereby have an effect on others, so it's careful about how it spends its time.
7. Love is flexible, takes everything in stride, and can handle whatever comes its way. Love is always ready to give others the benefit of the doubt and looks for the best in them. Love wants to see others reach their full potential and does all it can to make that happen. Love never runs out of patience, even with those who are slow to get with the program or do their share. Love doesn't keep looking at its watch when others are talking.
8. Love never fails. I fail others, and others can fail me. We all can be mistaken, misguided, or confused at times. Our words and deeds often fall short, and our bright ideas don't always play out the way we want or expect them to.
9. We're frail, fallible, and often foolish, and our understanding of the world we live in, not to mention the world to come, is only partial at best.
10. But when God's Spirit of love lives in us, that changes everything.
11. We're really just children when it comes to practicing real love, but God can help us outgrow our childish ways.
12. Without Him we're clueless when it comes to love and the other things that matter most in life, but when we live in His kingdom--the kingdom of Heaven that Jesus said is even now within us--we can see things as He does, get our priorities straight, pull out the stops, and live and love to the full.
13. There are lots of nice things in life and lots of good things, but none are as good or as important as love!
QUOTABLE FOR FRIDAY, JANUARY 15
Why Do the Innocent Die?
Why does God allow so many innocent people to be killed by natural disasters like floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc., over which man has little or no control?
To truly understand the answer, it's necessary to believe in God and a better life after this one. Those who have confidence in God's love, mercy, justice, and fairness can find comfort in knowing that God has good reasons for everything He does or allows--even disasters.
It is also important to understand that God knows and loves each of us individually, and that He has a plan for our lives. When people depart from this life, whether it is through a natural disaster, accident, or otherwise, it is because it is their appointed time.
For some, it is their time to be relieved of suffering. For others, it is their time to have a chance in the next life to experience God's love and understand Him better than they ever could in this life. And for others, it is their time to be rewarded for their love and service to Him and humanity. But for those who have done evil for which they have not repented, it is their time to be faced with the error of their ways and the consequences of their choices.
God also uses disasters to work in different ways in the lives of the survivors. Suffering is a catalyst. Sometimes it causes those who know God, but who have not lived up to the truth they have been given and been loving to others, to learn their lesson and do better in the future. Other times, it causes people to shift their attention from trivial pursuits to the true values of life. And if they let it, it teaches everyone lessons such as love, compassion, mercy, unselfishness, and humility. It draws those who love God closer to Him, and it brings some of the wayward to repentance and salvation, when in their suffering they cry out to Him.
Whatever God does, He does it in love. In each "bad" thing that happens, He's giving people another opportunity to turn to Him. Those who do, come out the better for it in the long run. God is always ready, willing, and able to turn tragedy into triumph.
God is righteous, and God is just. God is fair, and God is loving and kind. God is perfect, and God knows best. Everything will work out well in the long run. People will be rewarded according to their works, whether they are good or evil. In the afterlife, everything will be squared up, and there will be rewards for those who deserve them and punishment for those who deserve that.
Most people consider death a horrible curse, but the truth is, when people leave this world, no matter how good or bad they may have had it here, they can be much better off. If you believe that there is a better life after death, then you can understand why God, in His mercy, would sometimes take people out of this world with its suffering, pain, poverty, and oppression. Those who die in disasters are often the fortunate ones. If they knew God, they've gone to a better world where they will experience His love to the full. And if they didn't know Him in this life, they will get their chance in the next.
Those who are left behind are the ones to feel sorry for--those who are still suffering or grieving the loss of loved ones. Pray for the millions who still suffer physically or are lost in spiritual darkness. These are the ones who need to be comforted with the love of Jesus and the message of His salvation, forgiveness, joy, happiness, and the promise of eternal life in Heaven hereafter.
