Living Excellently

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

And now I will show you the most excellent way.

13 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. 2 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. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Let's talk about love. What is love? The world defines love as a feeling. But if it were only just a feeling, how could it be considered more excellent than speaking in the tongues of men and of angels or having the gift of prophecy or having faith that can move mountains? A mere feeling that can come and go compared to such amazing spiritual gifts would seem deflated and anticlimactic. That's because love isn't just a feeling. The world has defined it wrong (shocking, I know).

So what is so amazing about love anyway?

If we continue reading in chapter 13:4-8a the Bible defines it:

    Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not       proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it             keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the 

    truth . It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

    Love never fails.

Ahh...That's why love is so amazing. Because it's a challenge, a call to obedience. The command to love is an opportunity to live as a Christian. Love it hard. Love takes work and dedication. Love is a testimony. Love is a choice. When you choose to love, you choose all of these things simultaneously.

So, now that we have realized what love is and that we struggle to really love our spouses and our children from time to time (maybe some of us don't even love ourselves), let's not forget that we are supposed to love our neighbors too. 

The last devotional I posted was a challenge to slow down and help the people we come in contact with on a daily basis, to get over ourselves and actually minister to the people around us. Today we learn that the way to do it is excellent. So what are you waiting for? Start exercising your ability to love. Ask God for strength. Ask God for all the attributes of love. It will take practice and you will be fighting your selfishness along the way, but you'll get there. We are will. Now let's go be excellent!