What's Love got to do with it?
(Written for my weekly word ministry on facebook)
Scripture Reference: 1 Corinthians 13: 1-3/ Colossians 3:23
Meditation Song : Love, Kirk Franklin
What's Love got to do with it?
I love this week's song by Kirk Franklin. If you have not heard it before please make sure you go listen to it (Again I suggest youtube.com). I also love the scriptures that I picked out for this week's word.
The 1st Corinthians scriptures I chose are about love. Here's the message version (my favorite version for studying):
1 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. 2 If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. 3 If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.
I love how the message version puts it. When it says that "If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate." (BCam Version) "I can speak as deep as I want to but if I don't have love, I'm worthless.
"If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing." (BCam version) I can be as anointed and as deep as I want to be, having all the mustard seed faith I'm supposed to have but if I don't love God's people; it don't mean nothing!
"If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love." (BCam) I can give all I got and even die in the name of Christ but baby if I can't even love folks? That's a mess. Worthless!
Then finally in Colossians the verse says (KJV) "And whatsoever ye do , do it heartily , as to the Lord, and not unto men;" (BCam) Don't matter who you're working for, what you're doing and who you think you are; whatever you do; do it for God. Not for man, not for recognition, not for fame or fortune but for God! Period point blank!
I likes that BCam version! It'll get you right-clean together! LOL Those Bible writers wanted to be all deep and sound all poetic but that BCam version just gets straight to it! LOL
Listen people of God, we've gotten the shout down to a science. I know a church in Chicago (which shall remain nameless cause some of y'all go there! LOL) that when they shout (dance for the Lord) they look like they all took a class on shouting! They all look the same! They turn to the right (I guess that's the holy side), pout their lips, stick their arms out and go for what they know! I'm telling you!
We've got the Church-isms down pat. We know when to say" praise the Lord! Ain't he alright?" We know when to speak in tongues. Preachers know how to put rhythm in their voice when they're ready to "take us to church." We got all that.
We've got the look. We know how to dress "holy." We know when to wear long skirts, we know that this church don't allow women in pants. We know the "suit-Sundays" and when you can get away without wearing a tie.
We've got the sound. We've got the look. We've even got the talk but if we don't love; it ain't worth a dime's worth of dog meat! (I love that! Thanks Joseph Mosley for that one!) And it really don't matter what you're doing or where you are, you've got to learn how to love!
There are 3 forms of love. Agape (Unconditional, Godly love). Eros (Sexual, physical love). Philia or Philaos love (brotherly love). As Christians we have to learn how to exercise all versions of love. Eros for our spouses; Philia and Agape for God's people. Because of his Agape towards us we have to exercise Philiaos towards ALL of his people. You hear what I say? ALL! Not just your church folks.
Not just your denomination either (Cause I'm so tired of one denomination talking about the other is going to hell. Get a life! Get it together!). The COGICs ain't got a lock on heaven. Neither do the baptists, pentecostals, Apostolics or any other perversion.....Ooops I mean version of religiosity! (Yea I said it)
If we had more love there would be less "hating;" especially in the church!
If we exercised love more often folks would stop coming to church to shout and going home to a broken mess! Because love would cause us to care more about our brother than what he/she has on!
If we loved more, the churches opened in Jesus' name would be packed to capacity. If we loved more, nobody's rent would go unpaid. If we loved more nobody's child would be getting slaughtered on the streets.No wonder God doesn't like church! Trust me, he don't.
In it's current state church has become a religious institution rather than the house of prayer for ALL people. We have lost the very foundation of what our "religion" was built on; LOVE.
The cross at Calvary was love in it's ultimate form. The fact that you're still here is a testament to the fact that God loves you with an unconditional Agape love. Wow. What a God.
So even when you curse, lie, cheat, steal, hate, hurt, kill, destroy, make a mistake, fall, fall, and fall again God still loves you! No matter what you've done. No matter how gay you are or how ho-ish you can be. No matter how much lying you do; no matter how much you've stolen. God still loves you. He's the only one I know that loves you IN-SPITE-of and not BECAUSE-OF. He loves you in spite of your extra deep ain't-got-no-real-power self!
He loves you in spite of your faults; in spite of your mistakes; in spite of your falls; in spite of your mess; in spite of you disappointing him; HE STILL LOVES YOU! NOTHING CAN SEPARATE YOU FROM THE LOVE OF GOD! NOTHING! (Give him 30 seconds of private worship right there! I'm serious!)
If he can love us in-spite-of then you can show more love towards his people BECAUSE-OF that very reason.
We are his representatives in the earth. So love the one's that hurt you just like the ones that help you. Love the ones that smell funny on the street just like you love the one that smells good in your arms. Love the ones that hate on you just like you do the ones that hug on you. LOVE GOD'S PEOPLE where they are for who they are.
Connecting this all with the Colossians scripture; everything you do should be as unto the Lord. So love his people just like you love on God. When you work in ministry, don't do it for recognition. Do it as you are doing it out of love and for God.
So you can't be at work working halfway and be doing it as unto the Lord now can you? You can't be sabotaging the program by being late if you're doing this as unto the Lord. You can't sit in church and put a dollar in the offering for the past 12 years and be giving as unto the Lord. Umph!
I challenge you to show God's love to somebody today (buy a bum a meal. Pray for/with someone you work with.Call your pastor and tell him how much his word blessed you this week. Have the scripture and title correct. Say something encouraging to someone. Even on facebook. Show some love) even if YOU think they don't deserve it. Cause NEITHER DO YOU!
I'll end with this: What's love got to do with it? Everything. Absolutely everything.
Please feel free to forward this or any other weekly word (Previous ones in our "Discussions" tab) to anyone whom you feel would be blessed from it.
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P.S. I love you with the love of Christ.
Created about 2 years ago
