Are you loving?

A few weeks ago, I finally picked up the best seller Crazy Love by Francis Chan. In one of the chapters, it presented a great exercise that I never thought of before.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."

I would say most of us, if not all, are quite familiar with this passage of scripture. Here's a new way to look at it. Every time you see the word "Love", replace it with your name. I.e. "Rachel is patient..."
When I did, I was really convicted of the ways I struggle with regarding love.

Let me know what you think!

Note: Crazy Love is a great book, if you haven't read it, you should definitely check it out! The exercise I borrowed comes from chapter 5.

I Just Don't Feel like It

Photo credit belongs to my amazing and lovely friend Laura Kindness © Eternity Photos

Love. Say that word a few times. It's powerful, isn't it? Love.

Love is who hung himself on a tree for my sake, for our sakes.
Love is what rescued us from sin.

Most of us, if not all, are familiar with the 'Love Chapter' of the Bible.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."

Emotions are incredible, aren't they? They allow you to feel out of this world happy or excited. On the other hand, they can allow you to feel extremely depressed or lonely. And then there are days when you may feel nothing at all. Most come to realize that emotions can be incandescently beautiful yet also have the potential to be deceptive and unstable all at the same time.

On fire for Jesus. You've heard that one, right? Yeah, me too. It's the coined phrase for any believer who's on a roll spiritually, gaining more and more momentum towards Christ. It's an encouraging sight!

But what about those who.... just don't feel like it?

What about those times when your emotions or feelings have hit rock bottom. You're not so much "on fire" for the King as you originally were. Life can get busy. Good habits start to fade. Christ gets crowded out. And suddenly a burning fire is quenched to an occasional spark, a faint glimmer.

I started out this post with the mention of love because that is what should continually push us towards Christ. Not an emotion, a fleeting feeling or hype from a moment. Why? These can be good for the moment, but that's it - just the moment! They cannot sustain you for any longer than that.

When we come to know Christ, we die to ourselves. We look past the distractions, and say that we choose to love Christ, to love His commands, to love His will... All with His help of course!
In those moments when we do not FEEL like it, then we need to remind ourselves that true love is not a feeling, but it is something you do. It is sacrifice.

For all of you out there, who perhaps just don't feel like it. That's okay.. we all get there sometimes. It just comes down to what you do with the situation you're in. Read God's word even more, pray even more.

Perhaps you are the one whose raging fire has now reduced to an occasional spark or flicker, well let me tell you, an occasional spark is all it takes to reignite the fire.

Proverbs 8:17
"I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me."