Thought of the Day !!

If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.
1 Corinthians 13:3-7 (The Message)

Love cares more for others than for self
Love means giving of ourselves as well as giving up stuff such as our time or our possessions for others.

Love doesn't want what it doesn't have
True love means being happy for others when they earn something. It means not being envious.

Love doesn't strut
Can you truly show love when you are showing off how good you are?

Love doesn't have a swelled head
Love means not thinking ourselves better than others. We display the love of Christ when we welcome anyone into our churches, our homes, or our lives without paying attention to their looks, their lifestyles or their past.

During a worship service while I was at seminary, a student spoke about how he had visited a prison a few times. He felt that the person he was going to see needed to be brought Christ. And this is understandable. And it is true. But what this person also said was that he never realized that he would meet Christ in the one he visited. You see, it doesn't matter what color someone is, where someone has been, who they have married or are dating....we need to always look for Christ in whomever we come in contact with. And if we have a swelled head, thinking we are better than them, we cannot do that.

Love doesn't force itself on others
Love is not something that someone can be forced to have. You cannot hold a gun to someone's head and say love me or die. The other may claim to love you, but what kind of love would it be. Instead, we must learn some of the by products of love like politeness, kindness and patience. These will help us to love as Christ loves us.

In the love of Christ,
greg