Characteristics of Love

Characteristics of Love Today's Scripture: Now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13, NIV. Today's Word: Spiritual maturity isn’t measured by how long you’ve been a Christian, how much you know, or how often you go to church. Spiritual maturity is measured by the way you treat other people. It’s measured by the love you allow to operate through you. First Corinthians 13 tells us about the characteristics of love. One characteristic is that it is not rude. That means, when we are walking in love, we treat other people with courtesy and respect. Are you courteous to other people? Are you kind to the person at the checkout counter that may be moving too slowly for you? Are you gentle when you are driving down the highway and someone cuts you off? Are you patient with your family and coworkers? These are all ways we show love. Scripture also tells us that love is patient. It is kind. It does not envy; it is not proud. It is not rude. Love is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love never fails. Notice that these characteristics don’t have anything to do with feelings. That’s because love is a choice. You can choose to walk in love toward people even when you don’t feel like it. Today, make the choice to do what is right. Choose today to show kindness and be courteous to others. Look for ways to cultivate the greatest thing in your life—love! As you do, you’ll move forward into the life of blessing God has in store for you! Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me so that I can show love to others. Teach me to be patient and kind and treat others the way You always treat me in Jesus’ name. Amen.

PS... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGCQnwn2hIQ&list=RD02eFOQHT3mn5Q The Most Important Part of a Growing Marriage     by Rick Warren “Keep your roots deep in him, build your lives on him, and become stronger in your faith.” (Colossians 2:7a TEV) You can do many different things to keep your marriage growing, like be affectionate, unselfish, and forgiving with one another. But by far the most important decision you and your spouse make in your marriage is to remain committed to following Jesus together. The Bible says, “Keep your roots deep in him, build your lives on him, and become stronger in your faith” (Colossians 2:7a TEV). Both you and your spouse may have committed your lives to Jesus at some point, but you need to ask yourself, “Are we continuing to live out our faith as a couple?” How do you do that? Get baptized together. If you haven’t done so already, publicly identify yourself as a Christian. If Jesus is going to be the center of your marriage, it only makes sense that you both “come out of the closet” and be willing to tell the world that you’re following him. I love to see husbands and wives get baptized together. It’s a wonderful way to tell the world that you’re committing your lives and your marriage to Jesus.   Get in a small group together. Challenge your marriage spiritually by connecting with other Christian couples. As you learn together to apply God’s Word to your marriages and lives, you’ll sharpen one another spiritually. You’ll also be challenging each other to serve in ministry and share your faith regularly. Growing as a follower of Christ and as a spouse requires that kind of consistent accountability.   Renew your wedding vows. If you’ve committed your life to Jesus or renewed that commitment in a meaningful way since you first repeated your wedding vows, consider renewing those vows. It’s likely they’ll mean something different to you today.   Pray for and with one another. “Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed” (James 5:16 MSG). Who doesn’t want a marriage where you live together whole and healed? The Bible tells us that will happen when we confess to one another when we’re wrong and pray with each other.   Follow God’s Word. A few years ago I read about a national study that said one out of three marriages end in divorce. When a couple is married in a church service, that number drops to one out of 50. When married couples are involved in Christian service together, attend worship services, and maintain some form of family worship, it’s one out of 1,105 marriages. That’s the kind of difference it makes when couples strive to read God’s Word together and apply it to their lives. Your marriage may have been going through a difficult season, but there’s still hope. Your marriage can find life again. It has to start with you putting Jesus at the center of it. Do what God tells you to do in his Word, and your marriage can start growing again.  Jesus is the glue for any marriage. He holds you together when everything is tearing you apart and you feel like giving up.  Talk It Over What makes it challenging for you and your spouse to grow together spiritually? What are the biggest obstacles you and your spouse face as you try to pray together on a daily basis? What changes can you begin to make in the next week that will help you and your spouse develop a more intimate spiritual relationship?