1 Corinthians 13:1-3 “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.” Today's episode talks about how important it is to remember to love during this busy season. It also includes a poem by Sharon Jaynes, which takes the verse above and applies it to the Christmas season. Music:"Adding the Sun" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Remember To Love This Christmas.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”
This is a powerful scripture and a powerful reminder of how important love is. This is something we can easily forget. We can strive to be the best at everything we do. Sometimes we can do a lot of things in the name of love, but in the process actually end up hurting those we love instead. For instance, we might work a lot to try to be a good provider for our family. We are working so much because we love our family and we want to make sure they have everything they need. However, sometimes we end up working too much and then they don’t ever get to see us. This is not showing them love. We might want to show our family that we love them by keeping the house clean. However, if we take this too far and are always yelling at everyone to clean up their stuff, then we are not showing them we love them.
I was listening to the KLOVE radio station yesterday and the host of the show shared a poem that took this verse and changed it to apply to the Christmas season. Since this season is one that gets away from all of us from time to time I thought I would share it will you too. When I heard this it was a great reminder of what is really important during this season. The Poem is called 1 Corinthians 13 Christmas Style By Sharon Jaynes. (Click Here) to check out her website.
If I decorate my house perfectly with lovely plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights, and shiny glass balls, but do not show love to my family – I’m just another decorator.
If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals, and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family – I’m just another cook.
If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home, and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family – it profits me nothing.
If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties, and sing in the choir’s cantata but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.
Love stops the cooking to hug the child.
Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.
Love is kind, though harried and tired.
Love doesn’t envy another home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.
Love doesn’t yell at the kids to get out of your way.
Love doesn’t give only to those who are able to give in return, but rejoices in giving to those who can’t.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.
Love never fails. Video games will break; pearl necklaces will be lost; golf clubs will rust. But giving the gift of love will endure.
I really like how she not only took the verse above and made it about Christmas, but she also went a step further and showed us what it would look like if we did show love during this time. It is easy to get caught up in our to do list this season. I know there is a lot to do. There are presents to buy and decorations to put up. There are teacher gifts to give and work parties to attend. There is a lot. However, you get to choose how you do these things. You can spend hours making teacher gifts, or you can get them a gift card, the teacher will love it no matter which you choose to do because you are showing your appreciation. You can get all stressed out about finding time to put up all your decorations, or you can put up the ones you want to put up and keep the rest for another year. You can attend every Christmas party you are invited to, or you can tell some that you would love to come but you just can’t make it this year.
Every year, once a year, we get to celebrate the coming of Jesus Christ into this world as a baby. We get to remember how much Mary and Joseph sacrificed for us. We get to remember how much our God in Heaven loves us that he would give us His only son to walk among us. Many of us get to spend time with our families during this season. I know that part can be stressful for some. Families are not always easy to get along with. There may be past hurts and wounds. What if you considered the gift of forgiveness this Christmas? I am not sure who that was for, but I did not intend to write that and yet I felt I was supposed to include that. If what I just said about forgiveness touched your heart, I think God is wanting to talk with you. See if you can find sometime this weekend to sit with the Lord and ask Him if that was meant for you, if He wants you to forgive someone this Christmas? If He does, then don’t worry because He will give you the words to say and He will give you the strength to say them.
I know this information is not anything new, I think we just need a reminder sometimes and so when I heard it on the radio I though it would be good to share it with all of you as well. Don’t get so caught up in all that you are doing or have to do that you find yourself being unkind. Make time for those you love, even if it means you don’t get your house perfectly decorated or your cookies go unfrosted. Maya Angelou said, “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” How are you going to make others feel this Christmas season?
Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, be with us throughout this advent season. Help remind us of what is important when we forget. Help us to love all those we encounter. Help us remember giving is better than getting. Help us remember all those that might be struggling during this difficult time. Lord, we ask you put on our hearts anyone you want us to reach out to, anyone that might need us to check in. Show us how to help those that need help. We love you Lord, you are amazing. We are so grateful you sent your only son to walk among us, to be one of us. We ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus holy name, Amen.
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk Boldly with Jesus. I look forward to spending time with you again on Monday. Remember, Jesus loves you and so do I. Have a blessed weekend!