Love in action could sometimes go unnoticed. I saw a mother and daughter this week who were shopping together. They were laughing and talking as they came into the mall. It was obvious that they were enjoying each other’s company. How different this scene would have been if the daughter was hurrying her elderly mother along because she, “had other things that needed doing.” How different this would have been if the mother was complaining, “I hàrdly ever see you …” Instead, there was love in action as these two women were grateful for the present moment and grateful for the blessing of their relationship. I had another opportunity to see love in action when someone brought pecan tarts to share with coworkers. It is so essential in all of our relationships for love to not be the missing ingredient. Scripture clearly reminds us that if we do a host of commendable things, but we don’t have love, it means nothing! We read in I Corinthians 13:13, “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Love is the greatest because in heaven when faith and hope become sight, love will still remain and carry on for eternity. Love is now and always will be transformational. Actions become loving when the attitude with which we carry them out is loving. We see in the example of Jesus, loving regard for everyone. We can welcome the love of Christ that will radically change our relationships and the way we approach life. Another person’s day can have a hope filled outlook because we become known as people who are reliable in our loving response to each individual. We will need to pray and trust God to make His love the motivation and expression of our daily lives. We can pause to make God’s love in action the desire of our hearts and prayers tomorrow February 15th at 1 pm during our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER.
Praying that people around us will be certain they are loved because God uses us to communicate this truth, Pastor Lola
Thank You God that we have experienced the certainty of Your love for us. Thank You that all of our understanding of authentic love is centered in You. We consider now people who for various reasons feel unloved and overlooked. Our God we know that You never overlook or disregard anyone. We want to be those who love in both word and deed. We have been witnessing people who regularly love with more than just words. Thank you for those who take time and go out of their way to love. We pray for honest assessment of why we do what we do. When anything other than love motivates our actions, we ask You to forgive us. We are praying for sensitivity to others that will guide us in the ways that our actions can best convey love for them. Thank You God that Your love breaks down the barriers that divide us. We pray against anything that would cause us to treat people differently or to exclude someone because of prejudice. Thank You that You look on us all with equal love and grace. We recognize that issues of injustice get highlighted for a time and then fade from sight. Please keep bringing to our attention where we need to pray and care and express love. When a diverse outlook causes uncertainty about how to best express love, thank You that You can guide us on a path of understanding that results in love being given and received. Please show us what needs to change in us for us to have a greater capacity for love and compassion. When we feel overwhelmed by the complexity of needs and the number of people who are looking to be loved, help us to do one loving thing after another to create a pattern of love. God, Your consistent love for us equips us to be people who love consistently. We make ourselves available to carry the message of Your everlasting love to a world desperately waiting for unconditional love that can only be found in You. In the Name of Jesus Who loves us and gave Himself for us. AMEN