Love

Discipleship last night made me think of a few things. We were reading in Romans 12, and I will highlight the verses that stuck out to me or caught my attention.

*Note* In both this chapter and 1st Corinthians 13, the famed "love chapter", after the gifts of the Spirit are named, the importance of love is immediately stated. No matter what type of spiritual gift we have, love is something that cannot be left out of the formula. So many times, I get stuck in the rut of doing all these things that are "good" and "right". But if I am not doing them in love, what is the point?

Verses 10 through, um, well, 21. Hmm, I just realized that is all the chapter. So much for highlight a "few" key points. This is a great section. It just talks about how we can treat others-specifically those who have hurt us. No matter how frequently or deeply someone hurts us, we still have the opportunity to show Christ's love to them. I have experienced this recently myself. I was hurt. I went from being sad, to extremely angry, to bitter. When I get down to it, I ask myself what right I have to even be angry? How many times have I treated Jesus in the same way I was treated? Way too many to count. But he countered my actions with total and unconditional love. If only for the sake of thanking Him for that, can't I treat others in this way? Overcome evil with good! This sounds slightly cliche, but I think everything can be overcome with love. Anything can be overcome with longsuffering, kindness, humbleness, self sacrifice, good thoughts, thinking the best, rejoicing in truth, bearing all, believing all, hoping all, and enduring all.

"Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
For we know in part and we prophesy in part.
But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be down away...
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love."

Side note: Sorry to you if you read magazines. I finally have an argument for the stupidity of magazines like "People" and "Elle". How sad is the world that thinks this is literature....
"The very size of the print is raised until it looks like a first-grade primer...Does the size of the print mean that the new young women, whom all the magazines are courting, have only first grade minds?"
Admittedly, this is a quote by Betty Friedman in "The Feminine Mystique". Yes, I am reading this book. Anyway, interesting thought.