Put Love Above....

 

Artwork and Words created by

Tabitha Seaton

There are so many things that keep us from showing other people love around us. 

We let OUR feelings get in the way of HIS LOVE shining through.

I have posted before, 

 http://thelostsocklife.blogspot.com/2013/05/pity-pie-deny-deny-deny.html

that I don't think any human on their own is able to give unconditional love or Agape Love from the Bible. We will all fail to completely love and be loved by everyone we know. Nobody's love will live up to our expectations. Our love for others as well with be tainted by selfishness at some point. 

But, if we let God into our hearts He can love others through us... Perfectly. 

When we are too stubborn after a fight and know we were right...

He will love.

When we are full of rage after a student yell at us and makes our ears turn red...

(sorry, I am a teacher)

He will love.

When a stranger steals our car and leaves it on the side of the road with the radio ripped out and wallet is missing...

He will love. He will forgive. 

Read it all here...

1 Corinthians 13

Love Is the Greatest

13 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. ³ 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.

⁴ Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud ⁵ or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. ⁶ It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. ⁷ Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

⁸ Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! 

¹³ Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

Matthew 5:43-48 

 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?  You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

All of those words I doodle in overshadowed by the Cross are things that we hold as masters over our lives.

Whether fear, hatred, or un-forgiveness that  keep us from truly loving others... the result is the same.

We have nothing.

                                                                   Matthew 6:24-25

 ”No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.  “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?"

If we truly love the Lord, we trust Him to be in control of all our fears. Here is where the Bible tells us that God's perfect love for us should be so intense that it drives out all of our fears. To me it is like sitting in the lap of the most amazing Father filled with love. His heart is so big that we know He will take care of everything we are worried about. If we truly believe he can, then we must not be afraid of anything if we are in his arms.

1 John 4:18

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."

I hope by reading this, that some knowledge may have struck you of what is blocking your heart from loving today. Are you holding a grudge, feeling fear, or too proud to let go? Well, just let God take it away and clean your windows of your heart so His light can shine through and His love can be seen. It is not us that is capable, but Him through us that is. So... whatever you are holding onto...

PUT LOVE ABOVE!