I Corinthians 13:3 –
“And though I bestow
all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have
not charity, it profiteth me nothing.”
I John 1:6 –
“And this is love;
that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have
heard from beginning, ye should walk in it.”
Life is all about
love. Because God is love, to love is the most important lesson in life because
through love, we become more like Christ. That is why love is the foundation of
God’s commandments. Learning to love unselfishly is not an easy task. It
contradicts with our self-centered nature; that is why we are given our whole
life-time to learn it.
God wants us to
love everyone, but He is more particular about us learning how to love the ones
in His family. This because God wants His family to be known for its love more
than anything else; love cannot be learned in isolation. It is learned through
close fellowship with other believers to develop the skill of loving. You have
to be around people – irritating, imperfect, frustrating people. Through
fellowship we learn three important truths.
The best use of love
As a Christian, love
is the most important part of your life. Hence, it should be you priority,
primary objective and greatest ambition. Why?
Life without love is really worthless
People often act as
though relationships are something to be squeezed into our schedule. Everyone
always talks about finding time;
finding time for family, school work, friends, going to church, reading the
Bible … everything! This gives the impression that relationships are just a
part of our lives along with other tasks. But God says that relationships are
what life is all about.
Four of the Ten
Commandments deal with our relationship to God while the other six relate to
our relationships with others. All in all, they are all about relationships.
Our first purpose on earth is to love God, and to love others is the second
purpose of our lives.
Busyness is the
greatest enemy of relationships. We become preoccupied with living, doing our
work, paying bills and accomplishing goals as if these tasks are the point of
life. They are not. The point of life is learning to love – God and people.
Love will last forever
God tells us to make love our top priority because it is eternal.
I Corinthians 13:13
- And now abideth faith, hope,
charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
Love leaves a legacy. How you treat people is the most enduring impact
you can leave on earth, not your wealth or accomplishments. When people come to
their last moments on earth, they do not ask to be surrounded by their money,
or trophies, or diplomas; they ask for people – their loved ones. Because in
your final moments we realize that relationships are what life is all about.
Wisdom is learning the truth sooner, rather than later. Don’t wait till your
deathbed to figure out what really matters and what does not.
We will be evaluated on our love
God measures spiritual maturity by the quality of our relationships with
others. When we get to Heaven, we leave everything behind, we only take our
character.
“Oh Lord, my Sovereign God,
Whether I get anything done today,
I want to make sure that I spend time
Loving you and loving people
Because that’s what life is all about.
I do not want to waste this day.”
The importance of things can be measured by how much time we are willing
to invest in them. The more time we give to something reveals its importance
and value to us.
Time is the most precious gift because you only have a set amount of it.
When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portaion of your life
that you’ll never get back. Your time is your life, that’s why it is the greatest
gift you can give someone. It’s not enough to just say relationships are
important; we must prove it by investing time in them. Words alone are
worthless.
Relationships take time and effort, and the best way to spell love is
“T-I-M-E”
The essences of love are not what we think or do or provide for others,
but how much we give of ourselves. Men, in particular do not understand this
often. Many say, “ I don’t understand my wife and kids. I provide everything
they need. What more could they want?”
Time. They want your eyes, your ears, your attention, your presence,
your focus – your time. Nothing can take the place of that.
Relationships are what
Life is all about
The greatest gift you can give
Someone is your time
You can give without loving, but you cannot
love without giving. Love means giving up your preferences, comfort, goals,
security, money, energy or time for the benefit of someone else.
Now is the best time to express love
because you don’t know how long you will have the opportunity. Circumstances
change. People die. Children grow up. You don’t even have a guarantee of
tomorrow.
Knowing that one day you will stand
before God, here are some questions to consider: how will you explain those
times when projects or things were more important to you than people? Who do
you need to start spending time with? What do you need to cut out of your
schedule to make that possible? What sacrifices do you need to make?
The best use of life is love. The
best expression of love is time. The best time to love is now.
Point to ponder: life is all about
love
Verse: Galatians 5:14
Question to consider: Honestly, are
relationships my first priority? How can I ensure that they are?
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