Aren’t we all like Lucy? We all want to be loved. But what kind of love do we give away? Musical artist Johnny Lee sings the following lyrics:
I was lookin’ for love in all the wrong places Lookin’ for love in too many faces Searchin’ their eyes Lookin’ for traces of what I’m dreaming of Hoping to find a friend and lover I’ll bless the day I discover Another heart lookin’ for love
How many of us look for love in all the wrong places? Hobbies, spouses, careers, children, family, friends, sports, affairs…all trying to find a love that fills us. We’ll never find it in these things. As Christians we understand that what we search and longing for in these things is only found through a personal relationship with Christ. Yet, love isn’t just something we look for to fulfill our own needs. It’s also something we are to give away to others. (Click to tweet) Jesus said we are to love our neighbors (Matthew 22:39). He even told us that we are to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44). So whether you file a person under “neighbor” or “enemy” we still have to love them. (Click to tweet)
In another cartoon, Lucy yells at Charlie Brown and says, “Look, Blockhead, the world I love. Its people I can’t stand.” Our world definitely needs love. We choose to love certain people whom we deem worthy of our love and the ones that don’t measure up or are different than us we stick a label on them and turn our noses up and walk away…or even worse say unkind things. The simple truth is loving other people is difficult…and some are harder than others!
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:2, “If I have the give of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.” Nothing. It doesn’t matter how successful we are. It doesn’t matter what degrees or titles we have. It doesn’t matter if your the lead pastor or the person that sits in the back of the church hoping not to be noticed. It doesn’t matter if you give the biggest tithes or the smallest. It doesn’t matter….without love (Click to tweet). 1 John 4:8 says, “God is love.” Love is just part of who He is. And if we are His children, then it should be part of who we are too (click to tweet).
1 Corinthians 13 is known as the “love chapter” and it is often read or quoted at Christian weddings. What we learn from this chapter is that love is more than something we feel. The word ‘love’ is a verb and verbs require action. Love is an action. You can tell someone you love them all day, but if you ignore them, do or say unkind things, never spend time with that person, will they feel loved by you? Probably not. The love Paul talks about in this chapter is something that is both experienced and demonstrated.
If you have been married for very long, then there has probably been a moment where the feeling of love may not have been as strong as it has at other times and maybe there have been some moments where the feeling of love was even non-existent. However, if we were married only on the days where we feel like loving our spouse, it wouldn’t be much of a marriage.
Paul compares love to the spiritual gifts of, prophecy, knowledge, and faith. Prophecy refers to the ability to declare God’s truth in a powerful, life-changing way. Knowledge involves the deep understanding of God’s Word. Faith is the unique ability to trust God for great things. Paul says that the Holy Spirit can give you all three of these spiritual gifts but if you do not have love, then you are nothing. Love is the greatest expression of our faith and belief in Christ. (click to tweet)
The simple fact is, as a Christian, the world can see every spiritual gift we have been given, but if we do not love the lost, expressing love to them through the use of those gifts, then what good are the gifts we’ve been given? If we “minister” out of duty or expectation, rather than out of love, then what is the point of what we do?(Click to tweet) God knows the motivation for what we do. If we are not ministering and serving with a genuine love for all people we might as well not be serving at all. God didn’t place us in our respective areas of service or ministry so that we are fulfilling our own needs. He placed us there to love others…even the ones we would consider unlovable. (Click to tweet) In God’s eyes there are no “unloveables.” Jesus died for each and every one of us, regardless of economic status, nationality, skin color, or language. He sacrificed his love for every human being, regardless of our messy pasts and current troubles.
Lucy, in the cartoon above, recognized that like everyone else she needed love. But often, we have to give away love before we can find love. When we stop focusing on our own needs, we are able to recognize the needs of others and then we are in a position for God to point out to us the very people He wants to love on through how we speak, treat, and interact with them. (click to tweet)
Click to tweet 1 Corinthians 13:2.
We have a new product line of Christian apparel and gifts available in our Teespring Store and our new Spreadshop Store. You’ll find tee shirts, hoodies, tanks, socks, leggings, tote bags, mugs, iphone cases and more. All proceeds go to the advancement of Wellspring Christian Ministries. Thank you for helping us grow!
Click here to view the Teespring store.
Click here to view the Spreadshop Store which has a 15% discount through August 9, 2019
God, Love and Marshmallow Wars: This book contains 365 daily challenges for couples to strengthen their relationships to each other and with God. Couples will complete activities such as Scripture memory, conversation starters, relationship builders, learning about Biblical marriage, romance builders, personal reflections, and date ideas. Click here to purchase your copy. (This link will open a new widow and take you to Westbow Press’ bookstore.) It is also available at Christian Book Distributors, Amazon, and Barnes & Nobel
Looking for a speaker for your next ministry event? Julia is now booking for 2019 and 2020 Christian events for women’s and couples’ ministries for both small and large events.
Book with us now.
Julia is CEO of Wellspring Christian Ministries, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people and couples develop a passionate relationship with God. A public speaker, conference trainer, event planner, and blog writer, Julia is a two-time graduate from Grand Canyon University with a bachelor in Psychology and a masters in Professional Counseling. Saved as a child and raised in church and in a Christian home and private Christian School as a Pastor’s kid, Julia has taught Sunday school, led music, played the piano, served as Children’s Director, and engaged her gifts in many other areas of church life. Previously employed with the Florida Baptist Convention, Julia organized events and led conferences for church ministry assistants.
Julia enjoys sharing her journey as a growing Christian with others looking for a deeper connection with God. Through Bible study and her own life experiences, God has given Julia a passion to help couples understand God’s design for marriage while they learn to place God first in their marriage, cultivate meaningful relationships, build intimacy, and address the tougher issues that come in every marriage so that they can experience a marriage that honors and glorifies God. Julia also loves mentoring, teaching, and working with women to help them learn to live as Godly women.
With her history and experience growing up in both small and large churches, Julia enjoys bringing top level quality events to churches of all sizes. Her father largely pastored small churches and therefore she understands that these vital parts of the believing community need to be good stewards of the resources God provides them with. This knowledge inspires her passion for being available with a fresh perspective for those who want to provide their congregations with meaningful spiritual growth opportunities.
To request more information or a booking,
fill out the online form here.
Or call us at 904.524.8073
