Love
Love, it’s a small word with a huge impact!
When you leave your phone on and it rings in the middle of the service
Love is patient
When you turn up to the luncheon without any food
Love is kind
When you speak eloquently up the front and receive the praise of men
Love does not envy
When you arrive on time and are at church every week
Love does not boast
When your adult children are all still faithfully attending church
Love is not proud
When you hear gossip and choose to end it right there
Love does not dishonour others
When the nominating committee overlooked you for a coveted position
Love is not self-seeking
When the board meeting doesn’t go the way you wanted it to go
Love is not easily angered
When your children are noisy throughout the service
Love keeps no record of wrongs
When you hear of your church brother’s misfortune and are secretly happy that he received his just desserts
Love does not delight in evil
When you repeat the story in such a way that your wrongs are presented in a far better light
Love rejoices in the truth
When you are bold enough to speak up about known abuse
Love always protects
When you tell me you love me and will be faithful to me
Love always trusts
When your oft repeated prayers of the heart seem to go unanswered
Love always hopes
When you keep coming along to meet with God even though you fail to feel a connection
Love always perseveres
When you let me down and hurt me, yet again
Love never fails
This is real love
“Not that WE loved God
But that He loved us
And sent HIS son as a sacrifice
To take away OUR sins” (1 John 4:10 NLT)
We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19)
May you feel the love of God today
Shining down from the Father upon you
Reflected back to you from your fellow men
And radiating out from within your own heart
You are loved.
Wendy Stanton attends Launceston Church, Tasmania. From Paul’s love letter, this adaptation was used as a welcome.
