Love Ramblings

Just under a year ago, I was functioning as an Assistant Pastor, I was an Elder, was oversight of the worship at the church and lead worship myself with my own team. In the midst of that I felt as though something had crystallized for me. God was interested in only one thing, "How well do you love?" Not, how many people you ministered to in a week, or how many sermons you preached, worship sessions you lead that so called 'went off', or how impressed he was at all the activity or the titles... it all fell off! None of it meant squat UNLESS it was wrapped in love.

These are some of the thoughts that came out of those ponderings...

Love is the great leveller. Our level of love, compassion and mercy is the true measure of spirituality. The true measure of authentic worship.

How do we know we are truly growing spiritually? By the amount of time praying? Healing the sick? Preaching? Worshipping? Church involvement level? Authority? Prophetic ability? Souls saved?

I know that Jesus’ harshest words were for the people that had the external stuff down, but had lost compassion and mercy. Oh God my capacity to love in the roles had decreased not increased. Maybe because all of a sudden, I felt like I was doing stuff because it was my job, rather than because I truly wanted to.

Lord I want to see it your way. Fact is the way I see is skewed. If I met a guy who spoke in tongues of men and of angels, had the gift of prophecy, could fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, had faith that could literally move mountains, gave all he had to the poor and surrendered his body in martyrdom, I would definitely be impressed by a dude like that, I would say that there is one incredibly powerful man of God. But you say if love is missing, he is nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 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 have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

...And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.