Going through our
feedback email (winnersink1{at}gmail.com), we stumbled on a rather interesting
article for publication
The Most Important Thing
If I gave everything I have to the poor and even
sacrificed my body, I could boast about it, but if I didn’t love others, I
would have gained nothing - 1
Corinthians 13: 3 (NLT)
Love means doing what God has commanded us and He has
commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning – 2 John 1: 6 (NLT)
Note:
The Essence of Life Is Justified By Loving
One
of God’s Characteristics:
LOVE IS GOD OR GOD IS LOVE. As God’s
children we learn to love just the way He commanded us in order to resemble Him
(Our Father). Though learning God’s kind of unselfish love may not be that
easy, yet the whole of our lifetime is allocated for it.
Generally, we should love everyone, but
essentially those of God’s same family – Gal
6:10, 1 Pet 2:17.
By observing the above command we prove to
the world to be God’s followers – Jn 13:35. Every believer shall enjoy God’s
family of love in Heaven but foremost of all is the tough task of preparing
ourselves here on earth.
Loving formed the foundation of the family
responsibilities. We learn to love so we can develop its skill, we cannot
isolate from the imperfect, irritating and frustrating people of this world. In
fellowship, we derived three important truths:
!)
The Best Use Of Life Is Love.
In life love takes top priority, it
occupies primary objective and has greatest ambition. Love is not the good part
of your life but the most important one. Hence, relationships must have
priority in your life above all:
(A) Life without Love Is Of No Use – 1 Corinthians 13:1-3. When we talk about finding time for
relationship either caring for our children or making time for people else we
err. We suppose squeezed relationship into our schedule. Remember God’s
commandments in Exodus chapter 20 relate entirely on relationship. First four
of the law dealt with God while other six dealt with relationship with people. It
is what life is all about. Jesus himself summarized in Matt 22:37-40. After
learning to love God (worship), learning to love others becomes the second
purpose of our life.
Being busy is
being enemy to relationships. We become preoccupied with making a living,
accomplishing goals as if that is all life is about. Then what becomes of us is
cutting back on giving our time to relationships. What is most important to God
is displaced by what is urgent. The point of life is learning to love – God and
people because life without love equals zero.
(B)
Love Will Last Forever – 1 Corinthians 13:13. Love leaves a legacy.
The way you treat other people (not wealth or accomplishment) is the enduring impact
you’ll leave on earth. Mother Teresa once said, “It’s not what you do, but how
much love you put into it that matters”. Love is secret of a lasting heritage,
when life on earth is ending; people do not surround themselves with objects.
What we want around us is people – people we love and have relationships with.
In our final moments, we all realize that relationships are what life is really
about.
(C)
We Will Be Evaluated On Our
Love: in eternity, love shall be base on which we shall be evaluated. Spiritual
maturity as measured by God is by quality relationships. That is reason Jesus
explained to us in Matt. 25:34-46.
Note also when one goes to Heaven earthly things are left behind, only works
one did ( that’s the love practiced) and character that’ll follow us there. It
is of opinion that we pray daily that God help us spend our time loving Him and
loving other people. By this, we will not waste each day.
2) The
Best Expression of Love is Time.
When
things are important, time will be invested in them. To value and make
something importance reveals much/more time we give to it. Hence people’s
priorities are justified by time usage.
Time is your most precious gift because you
only have a set amount of it. One can make more money but not time, so the time
we give to others is portion of our life that’ll never be gotten back. This
makes it the greatest gift owed to someone. Relationships as important as there
are would not be sufficient talking alone but to invest time in them.
Relationships take time and effort, the best way to spell love is “T. I. M. E “
Essence of Love is not what we think or do
or provide for others, but how much we give of ourselves. Men in some cases do
not understand their wives / kids because they provided all needed things in
the household exceptional of time / personality.
The most desired gift of love is not
diamonds, roses etc. It’s focused attention. Likewise, Love concentrates so
intently on others that you forget yourself at that moment. Attention says, “I
value you enough to give you my most precious asset – my time”. Whenever you
give your time, you are making a sacrifice; sacrifice is really, what Love is.
See Jesus model in Eph 5:2.
You can give without loving, but you cannot
love without giving. When we love, we give up – yielding our preferences,
comfort, goals, security, money, energy or time for the benefit of someone
else.
3)
The Best Time To Love Is Now.
Most times procrastination is a legitimate
response to a trivial task. Because Love matters most it
takes top priority. The Bible stresses this in Gal 6:10, Prov 3:27, Eph 5:16.
Question: Why is now best time to express
Love? It is because we do not know how long we will have the opportunity.
Circumstances change, people die, children grow up; etc. You have no guarantee
of tomorrow; to express love is an action of the moment. Because we shall all
stand before God in judgment, let us consider the questions like: What shall we
explain to Him those times when projects or things were more important to us
than people? Who do we need to start spending more time with? What do we need
to cut out of our schedules to make that possible? What sacrifices do we need
to make?
Remember – The best use of Life is Love,
The best expression of Love is Time. The best Time to Love is now.
Submitted By : Bro. Isaac Nnannah.
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