We need more…Love
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love
1 Corinthians 13: 13 [NIV]
Why did I leave love until Friday? Perhaps it would have made sense to start with the greatest – but I decided to leave it to the end. Everything in the law and the prophets can be summarised as loving God and loving our neighbours – if we are unloving we need to first get back into a right relationship with God.
1 Corinthians 13 is perhaps the most commonly chosen passage in the wedding service. Paul talks about love in terms of "love is…" and "love isn't…". Jesus also talks about the relationship of the bride and groom being like that of God and his church.
God loves you so much, he sent his only son to die for you. Take a moment to reflect on that. Although we may have learned John 3:16 by heart, we need to take a fresh look at it. I find that looking in a different bible version opens up new understanding, here is how it is paraphrased in The Message bible:
"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.
John 3: 16-18 [MSG]
Lord, thank you that you loved me so much, help me to overflow with your love that I may love others more. Amen
Dave MacLellan
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