Make Love Your Aim
1. God said, "Make love your aim." I Corinthians 14:1 Why did God say that?
2. As Christians we are called to "walk in love - as Christ also has loved us." (Ephesians 5:2) How do we do that?
- Love... bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things
- Love suffers long - and is kind
- Love does not behave rudely
- Love does not envy
- Love thinks no evil
- Love seeks not its own
3. WOW! Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things! Do any of us really love anyone that way? And yet, that is how Jesus loved us - and loves us still! We are to walk in that kind of love.
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and he that loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." I John 4:7-8
4. When Jesus laid down His life for us, it was because of His love for us. The Bible says this was a sweet smelling aroma.
And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling aroma. Ephesians 5:2
5. God wants that same fragrance to perfume our lives - so people will be attracted through us - to Christ.
For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved, and among those who are perishing. I Corinthians 2:15
note: We can love because we have been - loved! And if we ever need more love we know where to go to get it! God is our source for the love we need in order to love other people.
But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God. Jude 1:21
6. But sometimes we forget. Why do we forget? Because we don't make that much of an effort to remember! I think we should make I Corinthians chapter 13 into a poster and put it on the walls of our homes so that we will not forget. We should read it often, and then memorize it. Perhaps then we will not be so apt to "forget." Here are some other Bible verses that will help us remember to love.
- Love one another as I have loved you. John 13:34
- By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:35
- By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us, and we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. I John 3:16
- Let all that you do be done with love. I Corinthians 16:14
7. Since love is thoughtful, we should always be thinking of ways to love people. How can you love your children? Your parents? Strangers? Jesus taught us how to think. Remember the golden rule?
Therefore, whatever you want people to do to you, do also to them, Luke 7:12
Remember when you were in boot camp and you just wished that someone would write to you. Therefore, whatever you want people to do to you, do also to them, Or remember that time you were in jail, and you hoped against hope that someone would come to visit you. Therefore, whatever you want people to do to you, do also to them, Or perhaps it was that birthday that everyone seemed to forget that one year. Therefore, whatever you want people to do to you, do also to them, In all of these negative situations of life, Jesus was teaching you how to love. Love is thoughtful, and kind.
8. Speaking of God teaching us to love one another. That is something that He always does. We just need to listen.
But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another. I Thessalonians 4:9
9. In your darkest hours when loving other people seems to be the most difficult remember this...
LOVE NEVER FAILS (I Corinthians 13:8)