We all feel a need to be accepted, and a need for friends. You have probably realized by now that the reason we want acceptance is to feel as if we are loved. But I have found that love is very different then what this world has shown it to be. I am not saying that friendship, but what I am trying to say is that the definition of love that the world has shown us is basically just caring. Care as a noun means attentive assistance or treatment to those in need. Care as a verb means to have a liking or attachment. Love is different from this. You see caring is almost like saying I would do this and I would do that for a person, but love is saying I will do anything for the one that you love. Love is holding someone else as if they are of greater importance then yourself. Love is caring unconditionally. Let me make myself clear before I continue farther. I am not necessarily talking about the love that one has for his or her spouse. I am talking about a love that you have toward the people around you. A love for your friends and family. One way to know that you love someone is by asking yourself what would you do for that person? The ultimate question is would you die for that person? And if you don’t think you would then how can that be real love.

There are no different levels in love, so it isn’t really possible to say I love this person more than another. The reason for this goes back to caring. Remember love is caring unconditionally. There is only unconditional love. This has been one of the hardest things for me because I had to realize that when I say that I love someone I am really saying I would do anything for the person. Love isn’t so much of an easy thing to do anymore. I don’t want to lie to people by telling them I love them when in my heart it isn’t true. Yet God calls us to love everyone. The poor, the sick, the rich, the middle class, the losers, the ones that are closest to you, that person in one of your classes at school that you just want to yell at so much, and everyone in between. Everyone means everyone.

1 Corinthians 13 is all about love. It talks about how if you have the gift to prophecy and understand all the mysteries and hold all the knowledge attainable, and if you have faith that can move a mountain, but yet have no love then you are nothing (verse 2). If you give everything in your possession to the poor, but yet have no love you gain nothing (verse 3).

If you have love then you are patient, you are kind, you don’t envy others, you do not boast, and you don’t have pride (verse 4).

The verse continues with:

5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

We all at times feel as if we are better than another person, but fact is that we are supposed to see others as better then ourselves (Phillipians 2:3 and Romans 12:10). God practices this himself. But how can that be? How can the God that created everything and the one we Christians serve see us as greater importance them Himself? The answer is that Christ died for our sins so that we won’t have to die ourselves. Now we don’t have to die to anything but to sin itself (1 Peter 2:24). He died for us because He loved us (Romans 5). The Bible says that God is with us, saves us, takes great delight in us, quiets us with His love, and rejoices over us with singing (Zephaniah 3:17). This is the greatest example of love.

I'd like end this blog with this quote from C. S. Lewis.  He he is talking about being hurt by the things we love:

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken.  If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket— safe, dark, motionless, airless—it will change.  It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. . . . The only place outside of Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all dangers . . . of love is Hell.

Artist: Cool Hand Luke

Song: Dreams For Sale

Out here it’s live and learn
So you can rush and earn
A piece of this pie
It’s work today and rest tomorrow
But it’s never tomorrow
Until we die
We strive to find contentment
And so we often miss it
When it’s knocking at the door
We’re too busy to open up
Busy with other stuff
So we go on as before

Like a pencil you hold dear
But you lost behind your ear
You won’t find it ‘cause it’s already here
You can’t see it with those
Eyes so tightly closed
It’s right here in front of your nose

What are we fighting for?
Are the spoils of war
All they’re meant to be?
We strive for 401K
But we could make a trade
For eternity
Put down those papers
Put down that phone
Put down those fake diamonds and imposter cologne
Yes, there’s contentment
No, it’s not free
You have to lay down your anxiety (I Peter 5:7)

Like a pencil you hold dear
But you lost behind your ear
You won’t find it ‘cause it’s already here
You can’t see it with those
Eyes so tightly closed
It’s right here in front of your nose
If you’re trying to end change
You’re wishing for the grave
This is the flux of things
In the rain you will get wet
And there is trouble yet (John 16:33)
This is how we pay our debt

Running past the thing you want
It was always here
You just closed your eyes and couldn’t see it
Open your eyes
You’ll see it’s here
But you can’t chase this world and find contentment

It has a face, it has a name
Jesus Christ
What if I told you
You could live forever
If you’d lay it all down?
What if I told you
You could live forever?
Just lay it down

Artist: Cool Hand Luke

Song: Two Pianos

You say to yourself, (Psalm 10:5)
“Nothing will shake me”
You take hold of the world to find yourself
You find yourself so empty

What have you let go of and for?
What have you let go of?

You were a brother before you were a king
When you’re dethroned what will you be?
You were a tower lifted up so tall
We have to gasp as we see the height from which you fall (Revelation 2:4-5)

You wanna hide beneath the pretty paint
You wanna be okay with everything
You wanna be transformed and stay the same
You wanna be dry in the rain

You loved you skin and dropped the “k”
You were called to be free
Do you wish again to be enslaved? (Galatians 4:9)
One hand to the sky, the other to your side
Clinging to a bag filled with two thousand dollar. Bills.

What have you let go of and for?
What have you let go of?