God's Word paints a clear and beautiful portrait of what real love
for Him is. You may be surprised, but read on . . .
Love
for God Is Patient
"Love
is patient . . . " ~ 1 Corinthians 13:4a, NIV
Wait
Patiently
"I
waited patiently for the Lord to help me; then he listened and heard
my cry."
~
Psalm 40:1, TLB.
We
cry out to the Lord. Then what? We expect instant answers, right?
Sometimes they come. More often, we wait. And that's a good thing.
When God delays the answer, those all-important details enabling Him
to deliver His best answer are not yet in place. In the meantime,
we have the marvelous opportunity to prove to God that we love Him
by choosing to wait patiently.
Copyright
2010 Beth Ann Ziarnik
Love
for God
Is Kind
"love
is kind." ~
1 Corinthians 13:4b,
NIV
Our
Kindness Honors God
"Anyone
who oppresses the poor is insulting God who made them. To help the
poor is to honor God."
~
Proverbs 14: 31, TLB.
Do
we love God? Here a test: Do we help the poor? Are we kind to them?
Do we feed them? Clothe them? Help them get a safe place to live and
an education? When they are unable to care for themselves, do we see
to their needs until they can once again care for themselves? Why
should we? Because in helping others, we honor God and prove that
we love him.
Copyright
2010 Beth Ann Ziarnik
Love
for God
Is Content
"
It does not envy . . ." ~
1 Corinthians 13:4c,
NIV
Love
for God
Is Modest
"it
does not boast . . ." ~
1 Corinthians 13:4d,
NIV
Love
for God
Is Humble
"it
is not proud." ~
1 Corinthians 13:4e,
NIV
Insult
or Honor?
"Anyone
who oppresses the poor is insulting God who made them. To help the
poor is to honor God."
~
Proverbs 14:31, TLB.
Loving
God is often as simple as loving those he has made. Instead of looking
down on others because they are poor, instead of making life more
difficult for them either by intention or neglect, we can honor God
by humbling ourselves to help those in need.
Copyright
2010 Beth Ann Ziarnik
Love
for God
Is Appropriate
"It
is not rude . . ." ~
1 Corinthians 13:5a,
NIV
Love
for God
Is Selfless
"it
is not self-seeking . . ." ~
1 Corinthians 13:5b,
NIV
Love
for God
Is Slow to Anger
"it
is not easily angered . . ." ~
1 Corinthians 13:5c,
NIV
Love
for God
Is Forgiving
"it
keeps no record of wrongs." ~
1 Corinthians 13:5d,
NIV
Love
for God
Never Delights in Evil
"Love
does not delight in evil . . ." ~
1 Corinthians 13:6a,
NIV
Love
for God
Rejoices in the Truth
"but
rejoices with the truth." ~
1 Corinthians 13:6b,
NIV
The
Anorexic Christian
"O
taste and see that the Lord is good." ~
Psalm 34:8, KJV.
Food!
Food! Wonderful food! We eat. We feast. We super-size. We wouldn't
dream of missing a meal, and heaven forbid that we should pass on
the delectable snack, much less that scrumptious dessert.
And
yet . . . we may be anorexic.
We
may be passing up the most important food of the day . . . the most
delectable. We may be starving for the only nourishment that keeps
our spirits healthy.
Each
day the Lord invites us to his banqueting table, to feast on his Word
and become rich in wisdom and godly righteousness -- patience, kindness,
forgiveness, truth, faithfulness, and much more.
Been
neglecting your time of reading and praying through the delights of
God's Word lately? Kick the anorexic habit and join him at his banqueting
table.
Copyright
2010 Beth Ann Ziarnik
Love
for God
Protects
"It
always protects . . ." ~
1 Corinthians 13:7a,
NIV
Love
for God
Trusts
"It
. . . always trusts . . ." ~
1 Corinthians 13:7b,
NIV
Rebel
Without a Cause
"Only
a few would welcome and receive him . . . all they needed to do was
to trust him to save them." ~
John 1:12, TLB.
We
want to do it ourselves. If anyone is going to save us, we want to
be the one. Trust God? Forget it! We look at his solution to sin--the
blood of Christ on the cross--and just as his Word says, we mock and
ridicule it. We turn our noses up and and try "better" solutions.
While
we do this, God sees but waits for us to come to our senses, to admit
we don't have the answer. After all, who but he is wise enough to
solve the sin problem? Who but he has graciously made the way for
our freedom from sin's penalty?
When
we finally decide to turn from our sin and love God, we stop being
rebels without a cause. Instead, we are set free from our eternal
death penalty as we choose to trust in God's one and only solution,
and gain the right to become his beloved children.
Copyright
2010 Beth Ann Ziarnik
Love
for God
Hopes
"
It . . . always hopes . . ." ~
1 Corinthians 13:7c,
NIV
Love
for God
Perseveres
"It
. . . always perseveres." ~
1 Corinthians 13:7d,
NIV
Love
for God
Is Faithful
"Love
never fails." ~
1 Corinthians 13:8a,
NIV
NOTE:
Scriptures
on this page marked TLB are taken from THE LIVING BIBLE, copyright
1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton,
Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Scriptures
on this page marked NIV are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW
INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible
Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
May
God bless you with a greater understanding of, and experience in,
what a true love relationship with Him is!
Copyright
2011 Beth Ann Ziarnik
