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Here is what love is like
David Sanford, adjunct professor at Western Baptist College
If I talk a lot about God and the Bible and the Church, but I fail to ask
about your needs and then help you, I'm simply making a lot of empty
religious noise.
If I graduate from theological seminary and know all the answers to
questions you'll never even think of asking, and if I have all the degrees
to prove it and if I say I believe in God with all my heart, and soul and
strength, and claim to have incredible answers to my prayers to show it,
but I fail to take the time to find out where you're at and what makes you
laugh and why you cry, I'm nothing.
If I sell an extra car and some of my books to raise money for some poor
starving kids somewhere, and if I give my life for God's service and burn
out after pouring everything I have into the work, but do it all without
ever once thinking about the people, the real hurting people-the moms and
dads and sons and daughters and orphans and widows and the lonely and
hurting-if I pour my life into the Kingdom but forget to make it relevant
to those here on earth, my energy is wasted, and so is my life.
Here is what love is like--genuine love. God's kind of love. It's patient.
It can wait. It helps others, even if they never find out who did it. Love
doesn't look for greener pastures or dream of how things could be better
if I just got rid of all my current commitments. Love doesn't boast. It
doesn't try to build itself up to be something it isn't. Love doesn't act
in a loose, immoral way. It doesn't seek to take, but it willingly gives.
Love doesn't lose its
cool. It doesn't turn on and off. Love doesn't think about how bad the
other person is, and certainly doesn't think of how it could get back at
someone. Love is grieved deeply (as God is) over the evil in this world,
but it rejoices over truth.
Love comes and sits with you when you're feeling down and finds out what
is wrong. It empathizes with you and believes in you. Love knows you'll
come through just as God planned, and love sticks right beside you all the
way. Love doesn't give up, or quit, or diminish or go home. Love keeps on
keeping on, even when everything goes wrong and the feelings leave and the
other person doesn't seem as special anymore. Love succeeds 100 percent of
the time. That, my friend, is what real love is!
Dr. Bob Griffin, Editor of the Grif.Net humor and odd thoughts from an
unashamedly (but slightly warped) Christian College Professor.
1 cross + 3 nails = 4 given
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