LOVE.
Love bears all things.
It bears the weight of misunderstanding. 'Love bears all things' says things like: 'It's what he said, but it isn't what he meant. It sounded like what he meant, but it isn't what he meant.'
Love believes all things.
It believes the best rather than assuming the worst about what she did.
Love hopes all things.
It sees people not as they are, but as they will be by God's grace.
Love endures all things.
You can retreat if you want to, but I'm never going to back up when it comes to loving you.
There is a church in Washington state that grew from zero to more than 4,000 in less than 14 years. They made written and verbal commitments to each other when they first started the church. What they wrote moves me when I read it:
'You will never knowingly suffer at my hand. I will never say anything or do anything to intentionally hurt you. I will always, in every circumstance, seek to help and support you. If you're down and I can lift you, I will. If you need something and I have it, I'll share it with you. If I need to, I'll give it to you. No matter what I find out about you, no matter what happens in the future -- good or bad -- my commitment to you will never change. And there is nothing you can do about it.'
Love never fails.
Think about the implications of that --- love never fails. 'If this whole church thing goes south, God, help us to be able to say it wasn't because we didn't love each other.'
And be blessed.
Love bears all things.
It bears the weight of misunderstanding. 'Love bears all things' says things like: 'It's what he said, but it isn't what he meant. It sounded like what he meant, but it isn't what he meant.'
Love believes all things.It believes the best rather than assuming the worst about what she did.
Love hopes all things.
It sees people not as they are, but as they will be by God's grace.
Love endures all things.
You can retreat if you want to, but I'm never going to back up when it comes to loving you.
'If this whole church thing goes south, God, help us to be able to say it wasn't because we didn't love each other.'
There is a church in Washington state that grew from zero to more than 4,000 in less than 14 years. They made written and verbal commitments to each other when they first started the church. What they wrote moves me when I read it:
'You will never knowingly suffer at my hand. I will never say anything or do anything to intentionally hurt you. I will always, in every circumstance, seek to help and support you. If you're down and I can lift you, I will. If you need something and I have it, I'll share it with you. If I need to, I'll give it to you. No matter what I find out about you, no matter what happens in the future -- good or bad -- my commitment to you will never change. And there is nothing you can do about it.'
Love never fails.
Think about the implications of that --- love never fails. 'If this whole church thing goes south, God, help us to be able to say it wasn't because we didn't love each other.'
And be blessed.
1 comment:
I also love what they wrote. I think, overall, our church is a loving and welcoming place. Many of my experiences there have been happy ones.
I always felt as if it was an extended family. But there was a significant period of time when I knew I didn't belong there. I left the church for quite a long time. I was lost and I didn't feel as if I had anywhere else to go. Going to another church just didn't appeal to me, so I grew further from God. After quite a while, the Holy Spirit came after me and drew me back. It's good to be back, but it will never be the same. Being part of the flock comes with conditions, so I will never be sure of my place. Anyway, so many people I have met have been very kind and caring, so I like that about JC. I'm grateful for the friends I made.
All said, it is the best church I can think of. I wouldn't choose another.
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