My journey with the Lord had felt much like the effort of putting together a puzzle; the border was firmly in place and through the years, piece by piece, the puzzle was coming together. But missing pieces left the overall picture indistinguishable. What rejoicing is there in an unfinished puzzle?
No matter how much was done, I couldn’t help but fix my eyes on the empty spaces that begged to be filled. And then one day it was like God walked over to my giant masterpiece of a puzzle and with one divine swipe of His hand sent the thing flying across the room. Thousands of pieces scattered to the floor. Only one piece remained.
LOVE.
And in that moment the message was clear. Everything was about this ONE thing.
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
Paul’s words pierced my heart as if reading them for the first time: Everything minus One Thing equals Nothing.
In my earthly brokenness I sometimes feel absent of natural affection and fear emotional connection. So, as pathetic as it sounds, about ten years ago I started studying Biblical love, using the Bible like a textbook to show me what love was supposed to look like. Then, with all the energy I could muster, I would awake and “put on love” (Colossians 3:14). I aimed tirelessly to be kind and patient as 1 Corinthians 13:4 tells us to; determining not to be envious, boastful, rude, self-seeking, irritable, or resentful as verse 5 warns against. But all my striving could only take me so far. I could “put on” the outfit, so to speak, but not enjoy wearing it.
If ‘Love Does’ then I Did. And in doing I concluded I was loving. I was wrong.
The kind of love God calls us to isn’t first and foremost a set of actions. Actions can be good and still be lacking in love.
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Paul points us towards a love that goes deeper than action; he’s getting at the heart, motives and attitudes with which we love. “Don’t just pretend to love others,” he writes in Romans 12:9, “Really love them.” Genuine love isn’t manufactured through good deeds, put on by good behavior, or produced through striving efforts. It has to come from somewhere outside ourselves.
And praise God that’s exactly what He promises to do…
For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” Romans 5:5
Oh the kindness of God! – it never ceases to amaze me. He knows you and I can’t love people to the degree that He’s called us to – feeding our enemies, turning the other cheek, and blessing those who curse us. So He offers to pour that kind of love into our hearts through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This is nothing short of miraculous!
Jesus does not stand over us as some harsh master saying, “Get your act together people, what did I rescue you for anyways…get to work and start loving people, would ya!” No! Instead He says, “Come to me… and learn from me… and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
In essence, Come and let ME fill your heart with MY love for MY people… you’ll be amazed as you experience my Holy Spirit changing your attitudes, your thoughts, and your desires. Watch as your 2-Dimensional lists become 3-Dimensional beauty. You, my child, have a front row seat to the impossible! … IF you’ll come.
The New Testament offers all the proof we need that when this kind of love – His love – fills a person’s heart it changes how and why they love others. Vertical love between us and the Father always produces horizontal love between us and our neighbors. But it must come in that order.
‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Jesus, Matthew 22:37-38
First: love God. First, “Come and learn from me…”
Then.
Love your neighbor as yourself – because we can’t love others effectively and with longevity until we receive His love supernaturally.
There is no doubt much good that comes from giving generously, serving those in need, and sharing the gospel. But we get it backwards when we strive to love our neighbor before seeking to love God, and in doing so we place a hard yoke upon our necks, a heavy burden upon our backs. And we deceive ourselves when we assume that by doing we are loving.
The heart so deceives that a person may perform a work that appears to be good and righteous, but in fact self-love and desire for self-aggrandizement give rise to the external work.” -excerpt from A Puritan Theology
How then do we come and receive the Father’s offer to fill our hearts with genuine love?
Tune in next time… 🙂
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Niki Schemanski is a wife of eighteen years and homeschooling mother of three children. As a child her love of singing led her into the world of pageants where she won numerous titles, including Miss National Pre-Teen, and traveled nationally to perform and speak. At seventeen her love of singing was joined with a newfound love for Jesus thus birthing the heart of a worship leader, a role she has served in both professionally and voluntarily for sixteen years. She and her family reside in Durango, Colorado. (Read More: About The Author)