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It seems I am taking an "unintentional blogging break" this week! It is a combination of running around town to Dr., dentist, and eye Dr. appointments and my husband trying out a partial "working from home" option...sounded awesome until I realized that meant no computer time for me... ;) So please be patient as we find yet another "new normal."
In the meantime, I've had a chance to be re-reading (in the waiting areas) Francis Chan's book "Crazy Love." In one section of the book he is discussing what God's definition is of "love" and he lists I Corinthians 13:4-8, 13 (ESV).
"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. Love never ends... faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love."
Then he asks us to insert our own names in the place of the word "love" within those verses.
"Shanda is patient and kind; Shanda does not envy or boast..."
Go ahead, try it with your own name...
Much like Francis, I realized my "lack of" as I inserted my name. For me it was between the "does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful..." PERFECT reminder for me as we (our family) moves forward into the "new normal" of school, partially working from home, etc.
We cannot, in our "human" state, love perfectly without knowing the true love of Jesus Christ and allowing His love to flow through us to others.
Tonight I am praying for His love to flow through me anew.
"He must become greater; I must become less. " John 3:30 (NIV)
In Christ's Love,
Shanda
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15 comments:
And Jesus is the only Name that applies! The only Name that saves! I love that you reminded us with John 3:30...
Thank you for your prayers. I truly appreciate it! You're in my list too as I pray over blogging siblings in Christ! God bless you sister.
Great exercise and great prayer. Real love is also the fact that He sent His only Son to pay for our sins so that we could be reconciled to him. Not because we loved Him, but because he so loved us. Yeah...been meditating on 1John 4:9-10...
Blessings, friend. And it doth stinketh when the husband useth upeth "my" computer.
Such a good reminder... a way to check ourselves in our following Christ's example.
Humbling for me... thanks, friend.
My husband tried to work from home a couple days. His computer is in the living room. Conference calls just don't work when Sesame Street is blaring, lol
RCUBES & Gretchen~
AMEN that Jesus's name is the only name that fits and real love defined must include God sending His son to earth to pay the price we no longer have to!
I almost went back and added that to the body of this message; but somehow it means more to me that you all said it in your comments. Amen and Amen!
Shanda,
This is a wonderful post to help us to remember who God has made us to be like. I taught a series on the character of God one time and I used I Corinthians 13 as the basis. It was very revelational to me because i had always looked at that chapter before as a way of living that I was supposed to be trying to attain. But, God helped me to see that really it is about Him and who He is in every way. And because He has recreated us in Him, by our faith in Jesus, that Love that we have and are experiencing in our daily relationship with Him will also be reflected in our lives toward others as well. "as He is, so are we in this world." It really transformed my life when I came to a fuller understanding that God was not expecting me to love anyone else, truly love as in the actions presented in I Corinthians 13, on my own. He desires that we experience that Love to the fullest and from the experience it will overflow from us. He united us to Himself. He united us to Love. He united us to Himself because He loves us and love has to give of Himself in order to be "Real Love." Real Love gave of Himself and made us like Him. He is so good and love us so much. We are only beginning to touch the surface of the fullness of how much.
Christy
Very good exercise...putting our name in there. I know I fall short...thank you Jesus for filling in the gap!
Missed you this week Shanda. I've had kind had an off week myself, lots going on. Anyway have a great day my friend:)
This is a great post! I think we can all do well to be reminded of this verse. It struck home with me thats for sure. Thanks!
Oh..ouch. I don't think I'll be able to get very far with inserting my name. I have that book and thought of doing it on the blog. I can't wait to read it.
Shanda, I have an award I would like to pass your way. please stop by today and pick it up.
Christy
"Amen"!
Hmmm...great exercise putting my own name in those verses - some things that just don't fit really jump out then. Hope your week is going smoothly and getting into that new routine.
loved that book...glad you are getting back in the swing of things...I am still trying to figure out where to squeeze in my computer time.
Oh me.
His computer is in the living room. Conference calls just don't work when Sesame Street is blaring,
Work from home India
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