Love Brings Unity

S scripture: "Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are." John 17:11

O observation: Love brings unity. The scripture makes clear the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one. There is unity between them and the unity makes the oneness possible; it allows for seamlessness between Them. If our model for love is Jesus then we too need unity with the one we love. We should be one and honor is only achieved if we first honor one another. This unity is not given, but a privilege to be striven for in love. 

A application: Work schedules, personality differences, and the circumstances of our lives all threaten unity. This is because the daily grind tends to make us lose focus of the bigger picture. We allow minute details to dictate responses and interactions in relationships. The focus on the daily struggle causes us to lose sight of the need to strive for unity. If we lose sight then unity is quickly dissolved. I know because I lost sight and small division became a wedge until it finally became a ravine. I am throwing my bridge out, but it has yet to reach the other side and there is no guarantee unity will be restored.

P prayer: God, I lost sight of unity and now face an impossible division. I ask for forgiveness and take heart knowing that You can do the impossible. I pray that the bridge to restoring unity would find ground. In Your loving name, Amen. 

Love's Motivation

S scripture: " Render service with a good attitude, as to the Lord and not to men." Ephesians 6:7

O observation: Love's motivation. Love motivated by external conditions of feelings will not be sustained. If we only love because we are loved then love is unable to persevere when love isn't returned. Yet, we know, love loves even when love isn't returned. Love can persevere because love is from God. When we love as way of honoring God then we know we have an endless supply of love's characteristics, like patience, to love one another with. Love honors God, but it also benefits others, those He has allowed us to love.

A application: I have spent time trying this [render service as to the Lord], but quickly found myself "rendering service" as to the conditions of my circumstances. The problem with this response is that it perpetuates the conditions further so something bad goes to worse and it becomes a never-ending cycle. Yet when I choose to "render service" as to the Lord I found that worse things became better. Today I choose to persevere and to continue to render service as to the Lord; remembering His love and not the conditions or feelings I am facing.

P prayer: God, forgive me for not loving in a way that honors You. I have seen the difference and yet I continue on my own way, which always leads to heartache and disappointment. Help me to not be stubborn and to love in a way that honors You. In Your loving name, Amen. 

Love Makes Sacrifices

This summer has been incredibly difficult and in stark contrast to last summer. The depth of despair led to today's incredibly awkward experience at work where all of my frustration bubbled up into tears. Not tears, sobs, uncontrollable sobs. As I tried to stop crying and to busy myself with work, I couldn't help, but I help except feel ashamed. I had failed. I had allowed my physical experiences to control me and I succumbed to my emotions. I am embarrassed by my uncontrollable crying at work and over something I should have been able to prevent: burnout. Yet, today has two lessons worth sharing. 

First, take care of yourself to prevent burnout. Recognize your limits and be open to communicating those limits. Although in this situation I had expressed my limits and the situation didn't change. So I suggest being firm about your limits. After today's melt down I have a feeling people will listen to my words more. Make sure you are taking breaks and removing yourself from stress. This next week I am taking off of work and I am going to enjoy a vacation. After today, it is considered a much needed vacation. Second, your moment of "weakness" is a teaching opportunity for other people affected by a similar situation so try not to be ashamed. Today, dozens of new employees witnessed my crying and blood shot eyes, they had the opportunity to see a "veteran" become emotionally upset over frustration, and they witnessed my perseverance in continuing to work the rest of the day. When I was able to speak without crying or tearing up, I was able to explain my justified frustration and use my experience as a teaching tool for newer employees. Sometimes showing them what not to do is more valuable because they can see the consequences. 

S scripture: "He laid down His life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers." 1 John 3:16

O observation: Love makes sacrifices. Jesus modeled love for us when He died on the cross. We had a need (to be saved) and He sacrificed His own life to meet it (salvation). He didn't complain about His needs or His hardships, but immediately recognized our needs and our hardships then sacrificed to meet the needs and end the hardships. Our love should be the same. We should recognize need without being told and sacrifice to meet those needs. We are to take care of one another and to provide for others.

A application: Today's lesson in love was about not being selfish, but I can only think about how today I need to be selfish, I need someone to recognize my need, and I need my need to be met. Yet, that isn't what the scripture says so today I pray for strength to endure and to sacrifice for love. I recognize how other people have attempted to meet my need even when I wished the one I love would, which reminds me to choose to be grateful for what I do have.

P prayer: God, my heart is heavy with need, but I pray for strength to endure and to be able to sacrifice for others. I thank You for the people who did recognize my need. Help me to be able to do the same for others and to be able to help them. In Your loving name, Amen

Love Encourages

S scripture: "Guard my soul and deliver me; do not let me be ashamed, for I take refuge in You." Psalm 25:20

O observation: Love encourages. In this life we have expectations for other people, but because they are human those expectations aren't always met. The scriptures say to encourage one another, to not let them be ashamed, and to allow them to take refuge in your love. Yes, you could tell them their mistake or point out a shortcoming, but doing this will only make them defensive and less likely to consider your words. Instead love encourages and takes personal responsibility to improve itself.

A application: It is easy to become frustrated when we feel we have been wronged. The justification for our thoughts and our actions is easily thought up, but even if we are 100% right, telling them that will not bring about a changed heart. Worse, if we continue to nag them about our disappointment then we actually end up hardening their hearts toward us and the issue. I know because I have done this. Not encouraging led to the destruction of a relationship. I choose today to let go of unrealistic expectations and to encourage instead of voicing my disappointment. 

P prayer: God, I have allowed expectations and justifications to lead me to believe I was right to be upset AND to voice my disappointment. I was wrong. Forgive me for forgetting love encourages. Help me to release unrealistic expectations from my heart and to encourage in love. In Your loving name, Amen.

Love Is Responsible

S scripture: "When you judge another, you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the same things." Romans 2:1

O observation: Love is responsible. When we do or say something wrong or hurtful it is easy to judge another person and to pass the blame: "if they hadn't done (fill in the blank), then I wouldn't have (again, fill in the blank)." The scripture says that when we do this we are condemning ourselves because we are doing the same thing. The wrong or hurt committed by another person doesn't justify you committing a wrong or hurt in response. Love is responsible for its actions, it listens instead of thinking of a comeback, and confesses when it has done wrong.

A application: Oh, how easy it is to condemn others while justifying our own actions. In life people will wrong us, cause us hurt, AND we will inevitably do the same thing. That is part of being human. Yet, we are called to be responsible for our actions. Today, I choose to listen and to think before I act in response to a hurt. I choose to be responsible for my actions and confess my wrong doings. I choose to not worry if others have done the same because that is their responsibility.

P prayer: God, taking responsibility is difficult, but I know I will be held accountable. Help me to recognize my wrongdoings and to be responsible for my actions. Love is responsible. In Your loving name, Amen

Love Forgives

S scripture: "What I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ." 2 Corinthians 2:10

O observation: Love forgives. The scriptures says we are to forgive. Forgiveness does not absolve a person from their wrong doing, but instead turns the problem over to God. Forgiveness is choosing to let God handle it (vengeance is the Lord's) and to put away the scripted arguments (after all God is taking care of it, not you). The act of forgiveness is like releasing yourself from prison and being filled with peace. If for nothing else, love forgives because God forgave us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Even Jesus forgave the men who put Him on the cross, even as He lay their dying He used his last few words to offer forgiveness (Luke 23:34). If Jesus, in agony, could forgive then we can forgive in our hurt. 

A application: I have found that if someone says they are sorry or shows signs of regret then I am quickly able to offer forgiveness, but if they aren't remorseful for the hurt they have caused then I become angry and my heart hardens towards them. I do forgive them, usually after a day, but it isn't instantaneously or in the middle of hurt. I choose today to forgive like Jesus and to allow God to sort it out for me.

P prayer: God, help me to forgive as quickly as Jesus forgave on the cross. In Your loving name, Amen

Love Vs. Lust

S scripture: "The world is passing away, and also its lust; but the one who does the will of God lives forever." 1 John 2:17

O observation: Love vs. Lust. Lust allows us to believe lies and to desire what is forbidden. Eve believed the words of the serpent, lusted after the forbidden fruit, and ultimately consumed the fruit that led to her destruction. Lust is in opposition to love. Love cherishes while lust destroys and longs for more. Scripture says that lust will pass away, but love will last forever.

A application: Lust, in relationship to love, is not just about or going after another person; it is any person, object, ambition, or hobby that takes away your focus from the one you love. Desiring success isn't necessarily sinful, but it shouldn't come at the expense of others (i.e. sabotaging a coworker or ignoring the one you love, etc.). Today, I choose to examine my priorities and refocus on the one I love. The world will pass away, but the will of God lives forever.

P prayer: God, it is easy to become caught up in this world and to even lust after worldly things. I have desired more instead of being content with what I have already, which is more than enough. Please forgive me for the lustful thoughts in my heart. Remind me the world is passing away and refocus my heart, as well as my priorities, back on You, for Your will lives forever. In Your loving name, Amen. 

Love Always Protects

S scripture: "[Love] always protects." 1 Corinthians 13:7

O observation: Love always protects. Love protects from harmful influences, shame, and addictions. There is a real need to protect love because there are outside forces threatening to destroy it. These forces come from unrealistic expectations, relationships with others that think love isn't a priority, and addictions that take your time/energy/money away from  the one you love. For lack of a shepherd, the scriptures say the flock falls prey.

A application: I haven't always protected love. I have allowed love to be destroyed by forces intent on feasting upon it. I have allowed relationships to dictate standards that weren't ever an issue until I listened to their poisonous advice. I have allowed negative thoughts to pour from my mouth without regards to their effect on love. I have fallen short. I choose today to protect my "flock" and to keep it from falling prey for lack of a shepherd. 

P prayer: God, forgive me for allowing my love to be preyed upon and for allowing my heart to be poisoned by outside forces. I don't deserve another chance to protect my love, but if it is Your will that I have another change, I pray that I would protect it always. I ask that You would make me a wise shepherd, able to protect my flock from all harm. In Your loving name, Amen.

Love Is Faithful

S scripture: "I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the Lord." Hosea 2:20

Observation: Love is faithful. The scriptures say God called Hosea to demonstrate His unconditional love for us through Hosea's marriage to a prostitute, Gomer. Gomer and Hosea had a life together, but Gomer was unfaithful and ended up on the slave's block to be sold. Again, God called Hosea to love Gomer and get her back. This is a symbol of God's love for us and our model for love. Love is faithful even when it is not returned. 

A application: Because Jesus' unconditional love for us is in us we can pour our undeserved love on others. My love isn't being returned and rejection is painful, but the scriptures tell me love is faithful and my model of love is God not the world. I could harden my heart or even repay what has been done to me, that is the world's advice, but instead I choose to love. I choose to be faithful in love.

P prayer: God, You know my heart has been weary, tired of waiting for love to be returned, and ready for relief from the pain of rejection. I have prayed for love to end and that was wrong: love is faithful. Please forgive me for my selfishness and trying to circumvent Your command. Fill me with the love only You can provide that I would be able to give it to him in a way that reflects my gratefulness to You for loving me. In Your loving name, Amen.

Love Is Satisfied In God

S scripture: "The Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire." Isaiah 58:11

O observation: Love is satisfied in God. There are needs we all have: the need to be loved and accepted. Yet these needs cannot be dependent upon a person or an object/hobby, etc. or we are continually being disappointed when needs go unmet. God is the only one who can meet all of our needs and thus our satisfaction can only be met through Him. When we are satisfied in God then we can be satisfied in others, forgiving them when they don't meet our needs. Satisfaction in God only comes from a relationship with Him.

A application: A relationship with God, that leads to satisfaction in Him, can only be achieved by being intention about reading His word. I have read His word daily for some time, but I worry that I'm not being intentional and instead reading it out of habit or worse out of an obligation. That isn't the way to lead to a satisfying relationship with God. Today I choose to be intentional, to read like I'm listening to God talk in a conversation, and to develop a satisfying relationship in Him.

P prayer: God, I'm sorry for losing my intentionality in reading Your word. Help me to develop an intentional heart and guide me in growing our relationship. I want to be satisfied in You and You alone. In Your loving name, Amen.

Love Is Jesus Christ

S scripture: "While we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly." Romans 5:6

O observation: Love is Jesus Christ. "He was willing to love me even though I didn't deserve it, even when I didn't love Him back. He was able to see all of my flaws and imperfections and still choose to love me. His love made the greatest sacrifice to meet my greatest need. As a result I am able (by His Grace) to walk in the fullness and blessing of His love. Now and forever," (Love Dare).

A application: I am not able to share this love with others. I can love even when I'm not loved in return. I can see all the flaws and imperfections of others and still choose to love. And though I can't meet the needs of others the way God can, I can become His instrument to meet their needs. Other people can walk in the fullness and blessing of my love.

P prayer: God, thank You for Your sacrifice. Thank You for seeing me and loving me even though I don't deserve it. Help me to keep Your sacrifice and Your love at the front of my thinking that I wouldn't wander away from You. I love You and the fellowship I have with You is very important to me. I pray that the love You have for me would be reflected in the love I have for others. In Your loving name, Amen

Love Is Impossible

S scripture: "Let us love one another, for love is from God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God." 1 John 4:7
O observation: Love is impossible. Unconditional, sacrificial love is impossible outside of God. The love we can manufacture from our own hearts, apart from God, cannot keep us from becoming angry or forgiving an offense. Yet God allows His love to be poured our through us. God's love for others is expressed through us because He has given us the Holy Spirit. When we love the scripture says we are born of God and that we know God because love is from God.

A application: How great it is that God expresses His love for others through me! God is allowing me to love this person that He himself loves deeply and letting me know Him deeper by allowing me to love His child. Oh, but I have forgotten that loving someone is a privilege and something to be valued above all else. I have fallen short, but I choose today to love, to value love as a privilege, and to know God deeper through my love for others.

P prayer: God, I have fallen short and I ask for Your forgiveness in my shortcomings. I am sorry I forgot love was a privilege and took it for granted. I ask that You would help me to submit to the Holy Spirit and allow me to demonstrate Your unconditional love for the ones You love. I want to love that it would be said I know You. In Your loving name, Amen.

Love Seeks To Understand

S scripture: "How blessed is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding." 

Proverbs 3: 13

O observation: Love seeks to understand. To find wisdom and understanding in love you must study the one you love. You must desire to know more about them than your favorite sports team or hobbies. Love seeks to understand their hopes, dreams, and fears, as well as to gain wisdom in the way they think. Understanding prevents conflict stemmed from different points of view.

A application: Our flesh, that has grown comfortable with this other person, convinces our hearts that we know our love and we don't need to spend countless hours studying them. The truth is very different: the one we love is a deep well and it would take a lifetime to reach the bottom. There is plenty unknown that needs to be known and studied. Love seeks to understand. Today I seek to know him greater and to increase my wisdom about him.

P prayer: God, my understanding has fallen short. I have allowed myself to be fooled and believed I understood when I didn't. I have allowed misunderstandings to bring conflict. Please forgive me for not seeking understanding. Help me to find wisdom and to gain understanding that I would be blessed. Help me to discern information given that I would be able to understand and avoid conflict. Help me to obtain the opportunity to learn more. In Your loving name, Amen

Love Promotes Intimacy

S scripture: "He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends." Proverbs 17:9

O observation: Love promotes intimacy. We are born into life with a hunger to be known, to be loved, and to be accepted. We want people to recognize who we are and to value us for it. Someone who knows us in this way has the power to love us at great depths or to wound us in unrecoverable ways. Love covers an offense and provides safety to the one's we love. Love is the shelter for our loved ones' secrets. If we promote shame instead then we create uneasiness and separate close relationships. Love covers over an offense.

A application: I haven't always protected the secrets of loved ones. I have allowed a desire for discussion to lead me to spill information that was a secret. The information led to feelings of shame and distrust. That isn't love. Love covers an offense and keeps secrets, except those that would lead to harm. I choose today to be mindful of the information I share with others.

P prayer: God, please forgive me for the secrets I have shared. Help me to foster restraint and self-control in the information I share. Remind me that love covers an offense and is a place of safety not shame. Help those I have hurt to forgive me and to learn to trust me again. Help me to be worry of their trust again. In Your loving name, Amen

Love Intercedes

S scripture: "Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers." 3 John 2

O observation: Love intercedes. Part of loving someone is knowing their faults and their limitations, knowing their weaknesses and in love praying for them. No amount of nagging or persuasion on our part will change a heart, only God can. We have insight that we would be advocates and pray on their behalf, that they would prosper and be healthy. Love is like a wise farmer, but only God can make a seed grow into fruit.

A application: I see the flaws, I see the shortcomings, and I see the need for growth, but my responsibility is not to lead a crusade against him. My responsibility is to love him and to intercede on his behalf. I am to recognize the need in his heart, to pray for it, and to not complain about it. Instead of pointing out the speck and missing the log, I am asking God to remove the speck and to show me the log. The result: both hearts are changed.

P prayer: God, help me to turn my complaints into prayers. Help me to remember the log in my eye and not the speck in his. I pray specifically that You would heal his heart. I pray that he would take responsibility for his actions and replace lies with truth. I pray for a breakthrough in communication. I pray equally for my own heart: that I would have healing, that I would take responsibility, and that I would be honest too. In Your loving name, Amen

Love is Honorable

S scripture: "Live with your wives in an understanding way...and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life." 1 Peter 3:7

O observation: Love is honorable. "Of all the relationships I have, I will value ours the most. Of all the things I am willing to sacrifice, I will sacrifice the most for you. With all your failures, sins, mistakes, and faults - past and present - I still choose to love and honor you," (The Love Dare). To honor someone is to set them apart and to acknowledge they are someone special, called for a higher purpose. When you love someone you bring them honor, you value them, and you sacrifice for them because they are set apart.

A application: Honor isn't an option. The love in my heart sets him apart and gives me the desire to sacrifice for him. The honor isn't the problem, but the pain that comes from being rejected. I don't know how to stop the pain without taking away his honor, but love is honorable. I must continue to honor him and trust the rest to God.

P prayer: God, my heart is hurting. Honor is so far from being reciprocated that I have forgotten what it looks like, feels like, and acts like. Yet You have called me to love honorably and I must honor him even when my love is rejected. I ask for Your forgiveness for the times I devalued him or wanted to devalue him to avoid the pain of rejection. Help me that I would find understanding and gain insight. Thank You for Your wisdom. In Your loving name, Amen

Love Takes Delight

S scripture: "Enjoy life with the wife you love all the days of your fleeting life." Ecclesiastes 9:9

O observation: Love takes delight. Your life on earth is comparatively short. Whether you are a saint or a sinner your life will lead to death. Ecclesiastes 9 is gloomy, but is effective in conveying this truth: death is inevitable. Do you want to spend your "fleeting life" fighting or delighting with the one you love? The scripture says love takes delight. You have the opportunity to choose and to lead your heart. 

A application: My focus has been on petty squabbles and on selfish desires. I have missed opportunities to delight in the one I love. Today, I am choosing delight over fight. I am choosing to learn more about him, his desires, and to delight in him again. When we have been apart, my heart looks at him and knows exactly what it wants, today is the day to start feeling that way everyday.

P prayer: God, I have missed opportunities to delight in the one I love. I ask that You would forgive me for those missed opportunities. Lead me in my commitment to lead my heart and to delight in him. I thank You for the future opportunities to lead my heart and to show my delight for him. In Your loving name, Amen

Love Fights Fair

Today, while I was having lunch with coworkers, the lesson I needed to learn about love was evident. The conversation at lunch seemed to come to the consensus that most, if not all of the "lower employees", were frustrated with management or the "higher employees". It wasn't that the company was a bad company or that the people were bad, but that somewhere the company became divided. Double standards became the standard operation policy and connections more important than quality. The result is a disconnect between employer and employees. A company divided against itself will fall. I tend to think of Mark 3:25 in personal terms, as in my house or my relationship, but today it became clear that it also applied to external terms, such as a company. 

S scripture: "If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand." Mark 3:25

O observation: Love fights fair. When Jesus first began preaching and casting out demons, the religious leaders felt threatened and accused Jesus of heaving the devil inside of Him. The scripture says that Jesus responded by saying a house divided will fall or in other words, if Satan cast out demons then it would be the end of Satan. In this same way, if we are divided against each other then our marriages/our families/our relationships will fall apart.

A application: We are humans, we fall short, and we fight among ourselves. A fight is inevitable, but when we love someone we fight fair because a house divided will fall. Fighting fair means establishing boundaries; it looks more like an intelligent debate than an argument on reality television. The rule I need the most is not bringing up past mistakes. The past, when unrelated to the present, only provides fuel to the fire. If the past is related to the present then it should be used to illustrate a point and not be thrust upon the person as condemnation. After all, you were suppose to have forgiven the person for that past mistake.

P prayer: God, I have allowed myself to be divided in many situations and every time my relationships have collapsed in upon me. I ask for Your forgiveness for past mistakes and Your blessings in the future. I ask for Your help in remembering love fights fair and in establishing boundaries for healthy engagements. I don't want any more houses to fall. In Your loving name, Amen.

Love Lets The Other Win

S scripture: "Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others." Philippians 2:4

O observation: Love lets the other win. The scripture tells us to not just look after our own interests because this leads to stubbornness and selfishness in decision making. There are interests and priorities that we must protect, like our relationship with God, but trivial things need not be fought over. Love isn't stubborn, it is willing.

A application: I am learning to not be stubborn, except on maters that will effect eternity. If it won't matter in the end then I can be flexible and willing now. If everyone only thought of themselves and their own interests then the world would be a much worse place; it would literally be lawless chaos. If we wants others to think of us and be flexible in their own interests then we must be willing too. 

P prayer: God, I have been stubborn and selfish; unwilling to be flexible. I ask for Your forgiveness for my stubbornness and my selfishness. Help me to remember that love lets the other win. Help me to remember my priorities and to remember if it won't effect eternity that I can and should be flexible/willing to compromise. In Your loving name, Amen

Love Cherishes

S scripture: "Husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it." Ephesians 5:28-29

O observation: Love cherishes. If you love someone as your own body then joy or pain in one of your lives you both experience. More than the Golden Rule (Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you), you move from want to actually treating others as you treat your own body. It is written that loving this other person is the same as loving yourself. A husband's love for his wife is suppose to look like the love Christ has for the church.

A application: When life is frustrating I tend to forget that love cherishes. My pain is very much my own and I focus on my own feelings instead of sharing his experience. His joy isn't my own joy when my life is not joyful. Often this is translated into me treating him as I have been treated and not how I want to be treated. That isn't love.

P prayer: God, please forgive me for treating him as I have been treated instead of cherishing him. Help me to love him as I love myself, that I would nurture and cherish him always. In Your loving name, Amen.