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Friday, February 12, 2010

The Heart Of The Christian Life Is Love


By Michele Rayburn

Romantic love is so much different from 1 Corinthians 13 Biblical love, isn’t it?

About 2 years after I was saved, I recall sitting down to read my Bible and study and pray. I remember opening up to 1 Corinthians 13 and debating about whether I should just skip over those verses about love for now, because “after all, everyone knows what love is, right?” I wanted to learn about the “weightier things of God”. And then it came to me that love was the one thing that I actually knew so little about. And that if I didn’t begin learning what Biblical love was, I really wouldn’t be able to understand the “weightier things of God” with the proper perspective.

I must say that since I began making my focus understanding Biblical love and how it is supposed to be practiced by believers, the Word of God really did become more meaningful and more powerful in my life. I quickly came to see that learning to put into practice Biblical love, and knowing the God Who is Love, *were* the “weightier things of God”. And that was what I needed to know first and foremost.

Without love, we are nothing...a clanging cymbal. When the Preacher preaches, or the teacher teaches, or the Christian witnesses to the unbeliever, if it is not done in love, though the message itself may be powerful, the messenger is “nothing”, according to 1 Corinthians 13.

Romantic love is a wonderful thing, but without Biblical love it may eventually leave the heart empty. This Valentine's Day, think about God's love for you. Whatever state you are in, may you find contentment resting in His love.

5 comments:

Mark D. Vilen said...

I agree, Michele. Good blog. Even when I have read my Bible and prayed out of duty, without love, it is meaningless.

Blessings,
Mark

Unknown said...

What a nice graphical choice for your post. His awsomeness is everywhere.
Did you discover this formation and snap the picture yourself?

MichaelDKaster

Michele Rayburn said...

Mark,

Thanks. So true. Without love, Bible reading and prayer are meaningless, especially to God, since God is love.

And meaningless to us, because we need so much to abide in His love.

Michele

Michele Rayburn said...

Michael,

Thanks. I take a lot of "sky" pictures, but this is not one of them. It sure is beautiful, isn't it? Good to hear from you again.

Michele

Matt Haney said...

Charles Leiter's messages have been very helpful to me on 1 Cor. 13. They are entitled, "Love, the Excellent Way" and parts 1 to 5 can be found here:
http://sermon.net/lakeroad

I have also spoken on these texts and they are available here:
http://tinysa.com/mh/1cor12and13

or here (if the link above is not active yet):
http://www.sermonaudio.com/search.asp?sourceonly=true&currSection=sermonssource&keyword=gcc&subsetcat=series&subsetitem=1+Corinthians+12+and+13

In Christ,
matt haney