Living in the Love of God

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never ends.

God is love.  His love is unconditional and without end.  His love for us is expressed explicitly through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus. 

We are able to love because God loved us first.  He created a spot in our hearts so that we could receive His love and return it to Him.  He gave us the capacity to share His love with the world around us.  He gave us the Holy Spirit so that our love could be an endless spring.

When we are living in accordance with the Holy Spirit within us, we are capable of extraordinary service to those around us.  When we try to live by the world's standards, we will choose to serve ourselves first.  The spontaneity of our love and service will tell us where we are living.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for loving us unconditionally.  We thank You that Your love flows to us endlessly.  We exalt the name of Jesus, who is the full expression of Your love.  We pray, Father, for the Holy Spirit to prepare our hearts so that we may become vessels of Your perfect love.  We pray, Lord, that You will reveal to us anything in our hearts that would restrict the flow of Your love in our lives.  By Your grace, may we repent of everything that is keeping us from living in the fullness of Your love.  May we bear much fruit for Your kingdom through the spontaneous release of Your love to the world around us.  We ask all these things in the name of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.