Well, here I sit at 6:30a.m., in my boxer briefs, watching Gus stab his horse in Lonesome Dove. LOL. I have been awake spending time with God since 4:23a.m. Definitely God's timing, not mine. And definitely some serious things to think about on my mind.
You know, I have gone through a divorce. And as I stare some other relationship issues in the face, God has taken me to 1 Corinthians 13 this morning in pursuit of his truth and will for my life. Not easy. And if you are in a marriage or relationship this morning, then I hope you take the rest of this to heart.
Have you closely read that chapter? Well, let's start further back. Do you WANT God's best for your life? Do you want a relationship and love to be ALL that HE wants it to be for you? If the answer is yes, then think about these verses and what God means in them. If the answer is no, then you might as well prepare for heartache and get on your own and move on!
God's word is clear.
In verse 2, towards the beginning of the "love" chapter, it states that "and if I have a faith that can move mountians, but have not love, then I am nothing". Wow. When you take God's word literally, as we are suppossed to, that hits home. Who among us wants to be nothing? God did not create us for that!
Verse 6 says that "Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth". Powerful stuff. Are we daily living in truth? Facts are, we either choose God in a situation, or we don't.
Verse 8 says that "Love never fails". Never is a STRONG word. Don't most people say "never say never"? God said never right there. STRONG.
But the verse that speaks to me most this morning and convicts me is verse 7. "It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres." Always is another of those strong words. Always is always. I didn't do that in my marriage, but praise God that I have learned to give that my best now.
What does it mean to "protect" love? Think about that. To me, it means that in EVERY instance, if you truly love someone, you think of them and honor both God and them by making the choices that respects that love. You don't flirt, you don't leave yourself open to known temptations or past failures Satan has used against you, you proactively and selflessly put the other first, and most of all, you hold yourself accountable to seeking God with all you have to be in the best position possible to honor that love. To me, that is TRUE, GODLY LOVE.
That is where it is on us. I suffer consequences in my life for not pursuing God first in my marriage. My beautiful children suffer because of my actions. That isn't easy to live with, but God is faithful and merciful and has worked in this. I have accepted that, and have made the changes that I needed to make so that I can best avoid EVER having that happen again. I want only God's best when it comes to love and a love relationship. Any of us that say we want that have an INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNTABILITY in our own lives that we HAVE to live to. Period. God wants and has called us to NO less. Again, think about that.
So wherever you are today, whatever situation in a love relationship you are in, or not in, think about what God says about love. Think not only of what it should look like, but even more about YOUR part in honoring God in love.
Then think about when we say we love God. Do we really show it? Do we only think about human love relationships when we read that chapter in 1 Corinthians? Or do we rightly hold our love relationship with God to the same standards?
Again, think about that...
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