Love

Today I have been thinking about love.  This morning I sent a text to my sons which shared two thoughts from scripture:  "Love never fails," and  "God is Love."
If we forget the second we will struggle with the first.
Loving on our own doesn't work really well.  At least not for long.
Even with both in focus we wonder, at times, how He would have us go about loving others.

I say forget trying!
What??!
Aren't we suppose to love others?  Aren't we suppose to be unselfish??
Yes.
Yet, it seems that when I make that the focus, things get skewed.

How about we love Papa and seek to make Him smile?  I find it very freeing to have Him as my focus.  He did come to set us free and to make us "free indeed."

He is the Glorious One and when my eyes and heart are fixed on Him everything falls into its proper place, including me.  I relax.  I stop trying, because He whispers to my heart that He loves me and find pleasure in me.  God is for me!  He's my Savior, my Friend, my Papa!

If such thoughts and feelings are filling our hearts and minds they will spill over onto others.
I am often amazed at how, once I get "still and know that He is God," the walls start tumbling down around me.

Tomorrow morning there is a little Christmas brunch at a local ministry where Ray and I volunteered.  He has therapy, but I don't, so I will be joining my dear friends.  I was asked to share a few thoughts.  I think I will share this posting with them.
Ministering in love can be challenging.  There will be those who feel entitled of the help, those who are ungrateful, those who are dishonest.  Of course, there are those who are so grateful, so humble, but those are not the ones we struggle to love!

If I remember that I am "accepted in the Beloved" and "seated in Heavenly places", then the difficult ones will be easier to love.  It becomes less of an effort when I remember Who loves me.

There is a Christmas song about Love coming down.  Yes, Love came down on purpose.  Love came down to me, who was very unloveable.
At the time I wasn't even willing to be loved.  Yet, He came.
This God of very gods...This King of kings and LORD of lords...
He came for me...He came for you...He came for each one..

I love the sixth verse found in Isaiah nine.  It is a familiar one that is often used at this time of year.
"For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders'
And His Name will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace."

This One with so many titles and so many names came down out of and in and as Love.
Love carries the day!