What Does Love Have to Do With It?

Familiar words:

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant  or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.   Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. . (ESV)

How many weddings have you gone to and heard these words given as some guide to make your marriage work? "Just be all of this and everything will work out" Wrong!

There is no earthly way of doing any one of them in our own flesh and selfishness.  

^{Consider the first verses of  chapter 13 in I Corinthians:}

 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Now in the above exchange the word love for God or better yet, Jesus.

So here is my point. Love referred to in this chapter is not human love. It is the supernatural love of Jesus as He hung on the cross.  Agape love!

In the original language the English word translation was charity. Charity was substituted 28 times in the new testament. It has little to do with giving money away. It has everything to do with why Christ stayed on His cross.

Seriously great sermon on these verses:
John Piper-Dying as a means of loving-part-2

Belonging

Warm and cuddly~safe and sound~ knowing you are with people who love you and they want you near them. That's what belonging feels like. Gift extraordinaire-belonging to  loving family, a church where you are part of a great circle of friends, or even a job where you are worth more than just the work you do. You are understood, respected for your uniqueness, appreciated for the richness different opinions and points of view bring. You never feel alone. You know that there is someone you can turn to for support, a kind word, a gentle touch. Someplace where you know your always welcome. That's the stuff that makes life worth living. For those without such a gift, the world is dark indeed. Give thanks if you belong somewhere.

An Answer to Pain

"God has not constructed us to be fueled by 
accomplishments, possessions, or trophies. 

He has constructed us to be fueled by love. 

And love only comes from being deeply connected to others. 
It is the most important aspect of human functioning:
without bonding, we die.
Period." 

Henry Cloud, 
"The Law of Happiness"