August 8 - Mel, Mariah, and Madden

August 8

Mel, Mariah, and Madden

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

¹Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. ²And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. ⁴Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ⁵does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; ⁶does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. ⁸Love never fails.  But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. ⁹For we know in part and we prophesy in part. ¹⁰But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. ¹¹When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. ¹²For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face.  Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. ¹³And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

IT’S NO SECRET that Shaquille O'Neal likes basketball.

It shouldn't surprise you to find out that Bill Gates likes computers.

Or that Mel Gibson likes to act.

Or that Mariah Carey likes to sing.

Or that John Madden likes football.

Or that Ekaterina Gordeeva likes ice skating.

After all, it's pretty obvious, right?  Shaq spends his time playing basketball.  Bill Gates made a fortune selling Windows software and other computer-related products.  Mel Gibson makes a new movie every year.  If Mariah Carey didn't like singing, she'd probably quit her job and do something else.

You can usually tell what people like by what they do or say.  In the same way, it's easy to tell that God thinks love is absolutely cool.  He talks about it constantly.  He says things like "love one another," "love your neighbor," "love the Lord your God," over and over.  And He is always loving; the Bible says more than forty times, "His love endures forever."  The Bible also says, "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13, NIV).

Of course, the greatest indication of how God feels about love is that He commands us to love Him, to love each other, and even to love our enemies.  His commands make it clear that love is right.  To love God is right.  To love others is right.  To love even our enemies is right--because God says so.

REFLECT: How does God feel about love?  How do you know?  How has He shown His love to you?  Does your behavior show that you value love?  Why or why not?  How does your behavior show your beliefs about right and wrong?  Are you obeying God's command to love Him? to love others? to love your enemies?

ACT: Write your own version of 1 Corinthians 13:4-5, using your own words to complete these sentences:

• Love is ...

• Love is …

• It does not ...

• It does not …

• It is not ...

• It is not …

• It is not …

• It is not …

PRAY: "Loving God, thank You for showing me how to love others.  Help me to put Your commands into action."

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