Name Tags: You are… Lovers
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.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.
I Corinthians 13:1-8 (NIV)
Even Christians get confused about love.
Shouldn’t it be like a Hallmark movie… where true love accidentally happens?
Shouldn’t it be a familiar circle… of family, friends, and people like us?
Shouldn’t we condemn a strange, dirty world, so their sin won’t corrupt our cleanliness?
They confuse love with self-satisfaction: hot dates, sweet treats, and their favorite things.
They worship false gods and have it all wrong, so we shun them– lest we “catch their disease.”
Yet here’s one truth no Christian can deny: the greatest lover of all is Jesus. If we copy Him, we can’t go wrong. Right?
But wait! Didn’t “God so love” this same world?
Didn’t His brothers think He was crazy?
Didn’t His disciples turn tail and run?
Didn’t fellow Jews get Him crucified?
Actors, models, and talent for Christ:
The love of Christ is more than a feeling. It’s a CHOICE to give everything we’ve got: the best of who we are and what we have… to uplift EVERYONE we encounter!
Because…
True love is vast and immeasurable. It’s immovable and unbeatable. It erases manmade dividing lines. It leaps over walls, ranks, rules, and classes.
It reaches out to the unloveable: to lepers, sinners, harlots, and heathens. It surprises and disarms enemies. It unites all of creation… in God.
This love became a Man known as Jesus: the Hero Who rescues us from death's door; the Savior we all need, but don't deserve.
No matter what Hollywood may pretend...
Real love has no relationship with lust, but it does ignite our hearts with passion: a vibrant and stimulating desire to become one with the Almighty God.
And no matter what the church may pretend…
Love is the top, middle, and bottom line of being an ambassador for Christ!
Only in our acts of loving kindness… will lost sheep follow us– who follow Him. To help them find Him is worth EVERYTHING!
P.S. Regarding “judges, naysayers, and haters” who call themselves Christians, especially those close to you, love is ALSO gentle correction/re-direction of misguided brethren.
P.P.S. If you try and they argue with you, then they’re fools. Continue to love and pray for them.
Name Tags: You Are… Lovers (Part 61)
NOTE: God is my Ghostwriter. If what I write is good, it’s from God. You may see notes to 'Actors, Models & Talent for Christ.' If you think you're not in show business, think again. Shakespeare said, 'All the world's a stage and all its men and women merely players.’ Mostly true. But you're not merely players. You are messengers and ambassadors for the King of kings.