Love Believes

The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Corinthian Church gives a wonderful description of love. We know this chapter as the "love chapter." It is I Corinthians 13. Paul says, "without love", our actions are simply like clanging cymbals. In other words, just a bunch of noise. When I read this description of love it gives me a goal to reach towards. The love I am to show others. One particular description of love is, "it believes all things."

What does Paul mean when he says, "love believes all things"? It means that this type of love believes the best and does not assume the worse. Wow! It believes the best! In other words, it does not jump to a negative conclusion automatically. It gives the other person the benefit of the doubt. How contrary is this God-type love to the love that is so often demonstrated by others? How do I find myself not loving with a love that "believes all things"? This is tuff stuff, however, it is a goal worth striving for and mastering.

I want to give you a personal challenge to take time today to ask the Holy Spirit to cultivate a love in you that chooses to believe the best in people instead of assuming the worse. Ask God to forgive you when you have jumped to conclusions that were not too accurate. My prayer is "Lord, I want to love others like you ask me to. I want a love that "believes all things," that is, that believes the best and refuses to jump to conclusions. Father, thank you for loving me this way. Thank you for seeing what I can become in Christ. Now help me to see others, not for what they are right now, but for whom they can become in your Son, Jesus. Lord, I thank you because your Holy Spirit will enable me to love the way you want me to love others." As we do this, others will see "our good deeds and glorify our Father who is in heaven."

This is today,

Pastor Gary