Isn’t it purdy? I like bright colors. With this award, you’re supposed to list 10 things that you love. Oh gee, I can instantly think of a billion…. I’ll really try to whittle it down. I’ll get creative, since this is such a creative award. Here are some things I love:

I love Jesus the Messiah :D
I love computer mouses (trying to kick the habit…)
I love disco. Especially Israeli disco. Don’t hate me, k?
I love Paint Shop Pro. If your house looked like mine, you’d love it, too.
I love motivational posters. And funny t-shirts.
I love COFFEECOFFEECOFFEE!
I lovelovelove my kitty, Livvy
I love to tell freaky stories
I love punny stories especially when they are language-based.

See?!?! The list could go on and on. I love a LOT of stuff. So what do you love? Leave your comments, or write your own post with the award, and leave your link so I can read it.

Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better then himself. Let each of you look out not only for your own interests, but also for the interests of others. ~Philippians 2:1-4

This is one of my favorite verses. I know I say that about every verse I put– OH GEE they’re just ALL so good!– but this epitomizes what love should be. Jesus summed it up when He said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Everything else is really just an offshoot from this.

Without a doubt, sometimes we do not FEEL like doing unto others as we want done unto us. Sometimes we FEEL quite the opposite. Maybe we FEEL we have been abused, or we FEEL cranky or bitter. But Jesus didn’t say Do unto others when you feel like it, did He? We must always do what is right despite our feelings. And love is not a feeling, but it does affect our feelings.

I like the part of the verse that says, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit… look out… also for the interests of others.” This is not easy. Our nature is set toward “self” and denying our self is sometimes painful or downright annoying. This is why God sent His Son (John 3:16) and why He gives us His Spirit, to enable us to do this (Romans 8:4). And when we fail (sometimes again and again!), He is merciful and longsuffering to forgive us so we can try again (1 John 1:8-9)! That, more than anything, proves that God truly is love. He is compassionate and does not condemn, but rather He gives us His Spirit to help us! And the joy and peace that comes from walking in this– there really isn’t anything that can compare with it.

These are some lyrics from one of my favorite songs, Saviour King, by Hillsongs. So beautiful!

And now the weak say I have strength
By the spirit of power that raised Christ from the dead
And now the poor stand and confess
That my portion is Him and I’m more than blessed

Let now our hearts burn with a flame
A fire consuming all for your Son’s holy name
And with the heavens we declare
You are our king

We love you Lord, we worship you
You are our God, you alone are good

You asked your Son to carry this
The heavy cross our weight of sin

I love you Lord, I worship you
Hope which was lost, now stands renewed
I give my life to honor this
The love of Christ, the savior king

Let now your church shine as the bride
That you soar in your heart as you offered up your life
Let now the lost be welcomed home
By the saved and redeemed those adopted as your own

I give my life to honor this
The love of Christ, the savior king

For more of The Word For Wednesday posts and participants, see Yeah, Right!

I think the Holy Spirit is bringing me back to the last one I started and left off, about three years ago. The word/topic is “love.” Ask anyone what is “love” and you’ll get a variety of responses: love is being “nice” to people; love is acting like God wants you to act; love is patience and kindness.

I think there is a lot more to love than that. Love is often confused with phileo, which is affection, and eros, which is physical love or lust. Love is not a religion of nice, either. Love is not a complex thing to understand, but it has been made complex because of all the other unassociated things that have been tacked on to it’s meaning.

Love in its basest word is “agape” in the New Testament Greek. It was a word rarely used in the ancient times; Christianity brought it new life with the word frequently used in the New Testament. Agape means “unconditional love.” That is, a habitual pattern of acting toward others the way God does to you, without any recompense or reward. I can’t say I’ve got my finger 100% on it, that’s why I’m going to do a word study on it.

But I read this scripture in 1 Corinthians 13 earlier in the week and (as it usually does) made me go: WOOOOOW!!!

Though I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.

… And now abide faith, hope love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Love is that by which we have FAITH to believe all things. By which we have HOPE to hope all things. Love is really the answer! And without it, all works and good intentions are empty. This is an embellished translation from the Amplified Bible:

IF I [can] speak in the tongues of men and [even] of angels, but have not love (that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion such as is inspired by God’s love for and in us), I am only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

And if I have prophetic powers (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), and understand all the secret truths and mysteries and possess all knowledge, and if I have [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but have not love (God’s love in me) I am nothing (a useless nobody).

Even if I dole out all that I have [to the poor in providing] food, and if I surrender my body to be burned or in order that I may glory, but have not love (God’s love in me), I gain nothing.

Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.

It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].

It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.

Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].

Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end].

And so faith, hope, love abide [faith--conviction and belief respecting man's relation to God and divine things; hope--joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; love--true affection for God and man, growing out of God's love for and in us], these three; but the greatest of these is love.

I think that’s plenty of stuff to chew on for now; I’ll have more about love in the coming weeks. This ought to be a terrific study and I really hope (and need) to have God’s love reflected in my life as I look into this more.

For more of The Word For Wednesday posts and participants, see Yeah, Right!

Are you a talker or a listener? Is it ever possible to really be both?
I am both. So yes, it is possible.
It depends on the situation, as well. I’ve been a talker when I should have been a listener, and vice versa. But there have been those glorious moments when I was a talker when talking helped a situation, and when I was a listener and listening aided someone. I try to be sensitive and walk in the Spirit, as the scriptures say.

Do you think God has a sense of humor?
Absolutely. For one, God created everything so that means humor; two, he created people which must give everyone in heaven a really good guffaw from time to time.

Do you believe in love at first sight? Have you ever experienced it?
I don’t know about this one. “Love” needs defining here. Is love to be defined as “lust”? If so, then yes, there is lust at first site. With “love” as in agape, that Greek word for unconditional love? Yes, I think this can be at first site, too, although it is rarer. Take, for example, when a mother lays eyes on her newly-birthed baby. That newborn looks like a pink prune and screams his head off, but mom loves him. And that goes back to question number 2– proof that God has a sense of humor, lol. ;)