Love is Living

Love is a Living Being

Bible Reading 1 Cor 13:4- 13:7

We see the true definition of Love in the above Bible passage.  Among the greatest of all gifts of the Spirit, Love has the first place.  Instead of looking at Love as one of the characteristics of a good Person, we should understand Love as a living being.  The phrase, 'God is Love and in love He had created everything' is familiar to us which explains love as the Person of God.  We need to be imitators of this love, which means we should become love to love others.  

In the beginning of the verse from the above passage, we read 'Love suffers long.  Love is kind; it is not jealous.  Love does not brag and is not puffed up;.....This makes sense, when we look at Love as a living entity.  Love itself has characteristics of its own.  It makes even greater sense when we replace the word love with our names.  Understand the above portion of the scripture by replacing your names with the word 'Love'.  This is what you should aim to achieve in the Lord in your Christian life.  

Do not love others with your natural love which will sooner or later is destined to fail.  Love others with Jesus Christ, who is the Love of God.  When we love others with the Love of God, it will never fail and we will bring glory to God.  Under such a setup, the demands of the love as mentioned in the verse, will not be a burden to us, but it will be so natural to us that we will not feel even the slightest pain.  Such a love will be flowing from a Christ filled life effortlessly as a natural response.  The bottom line is that we should aim to gain more Christ which will result in a natural flowing of pure love like fountains of cool spring in an arid desert from us.  Hallelujah.

No Second Place in Christ

Bible Reading: 1 Cor 9:24-27

1 Cor 9:24 - Do you not know that those who run on a racecourse all run, but one receives the prize?  Run in this way, that you may lay hold.

1 Cor 9:25 - And everyone who contends exercises self-control in all things; they then, that they may receive a corruptible crown, but we, an incorruptible.

1 Cor 9:26 - I therefore run in this way, not as though without a clear aim; I box in this way, not as though beating the air;

1 Cor 9:27 - But I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest perhaps having preached to others, I myself may become disapproved. 

Our Christian life is like a running race, a fight to endure until we reach the ultimate goal that is set before us.  Many run, but only one is the winner and this winner is a corporate entity comprising of God's Overcomers.  This entity is His first fruits which He has set apart for bringing justice to the world according to His good pleasure.  Yet, this is not a lofty and unattainable status in this age of grace.  In other words, a call to become an Overcomer is open to all today and we can easily get hold of this life because the blood of our Lord Jesus is qualifying us to the uttermost.  Hallelujah. 

The Bible is instructing us to run in such a way that we become part of that one winner.  Do not be satisfied with second or third places.  On the contrary, be eager to lay hold of the incorruptible crown which will be our true reward.

We don't run a race without training, so let us learn to subdue our flesh and make our body our slave to lead a Holy life.  Have a clear aim because at the end of this short race, we have everything at stake.  May God grant us the vision of the Christian life as a racing event where we are contending for the incorruptible crown.  Come let us be part of the one Winning Entity.  Amen.