staystrong standstrong bestrong staystrong2 standing strong spiritual warfare fighting the battle Psalm 23
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Saturday, November 16, 2013
Love is not self-seeking
Love is not self seeking. Now this is easy to see in others... Your watching a chix flick and there is that one person who is doing things to impress... for their own goals... It is usually pretty pronounced in the movies. In real life there are ones who do the same, they are good at putting on the charm... and good at doing things to pursue their own desires... Now I know that this example is toward romance; but it does not end there.
Self seeking brings the thought of one doing things that would benefit them self. That you give a gift to someone for you know that one will be given in return, hopefully a better one. You have someone over for dinner because you know that they will have you over... You show love if you will because love will be shown back... Always looking at what will be given back... what is in it for me.
Now sometime that what is in it for me would be praise. Yes, praise; let me tell you looking good... for doing something... is a good motivator for a lot of us. Praise, of men... Now let us not get to far to the left/right, having one thank you... is ok; it is when the line is crossed. What line? Say that you reached out in "love" by doing or giving to someone and they never thank you... Now here is the line test, how did you feel... and what do you think... would you reach out again? Did those negative feelings... boil up? The true test of love is that you do... with no expectations... and you are happy... that you showed/ demonstrated love... The joy of giving! One more thing; we must be aware of who we show love too. That we do not show partiality. An example, in a church I have attended there was a signup sheet for meals for people in need/ going through crisis... A family was on that list and there where meals signed up for weeks... and during the same time there was another family on the list; but very few would sign up... Calls were made to try to fill in the gaps... but still people were reluctant to help... saying they were helping the other family... Even now it brings tears to my eyes... Oh, it happens all the time in churches; oh yes it does. We are the church of the living God, how can this be? Let us all work on not letting this be in our lives.
Now one last thing for men, so many times we do things for our wife... and guess what we sometimes do these things with expectations... and after a while when these expectations are not met we stop doing. Love does not stop doing. So keep on doing. Yes I know it is hard but don't give up.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Love is not rude, unbecoming
"Love does not act unbecomingly" , 1 Corinthians 13:5. For me it is still hard to get over of knowing what love is not. Is it only me, does it not seem that we need to know more of what love is? So we can do what love is. Well yes, but we need to know what love is not, for we tend to think that some of the actions of what love is not, is showing love... so let us dig in to this next concept.
Unbecoming is talking about our conduct. Rude is a word used in some translations; but unbecomingly reaches beyond the meanings of rude. It has in its meaning the respect of person(s), no matter who they are, were they are and what ever station of life they are at, being age or rank or wealth(rich or poor)... As I was thinking of this I can relate to acting unbecoming toward the poor and also acting unbecoming toward the rich. How can that be? That acting unbecoming could reach so vast a people in me, in you? So here it is we need to watch that we do not act unbecoming, that is bad conduct, feelings, speech, ..., toward people. That we treat people with love no matter who they are...
For when God reached down for us it was not that we were deserving, nor that we were noble, nor that we were good looking, nor that were bright, nor that were we better... He reached down to all of us because we all are His creation; and He loves us, His creation. He reached down to us by sending His son, to redeem us... For this was our first great need. Now one last thing, unbecoming/rude also implies the idea of one not preparing/ thinking it out... not learning how to love, as pertained to the individual/ groups... for we all are so different in our preferences... also with these words of what love is not; could suggest the deliberate act of being rude/ unbecoming. Hopefully that is not us and hopefully we will try to be more studious about how to love our spouse, children, family and others.
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