The Extraordinary Power of Love
When I was a boy, I had a friend that lived just down the street. Donny and I were great buddies. We were the same age, enjoyed the same things, and spent most of our day together. We were not burdened or distracted with electronic devices; we rode bikes, played ball, and occasionally invented new games to play. Like all good childhood friends we sometimes had disagreements that would lead to a bloody nose. We were children that thought and acted like children. But, it wasn't long before we were back playing together, all hostility forgiven and forgotten. As we grew older and drifted apart, we lost track of one another, but I never forgot Donny. We were able to reconnect many years later and for a moment return to those wonderful childhood days. I loved that guy and still do! “It’s like this: when I was a child I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child does. But when I became a man my thoughts grew far beyond those of my childhood, and now I have put away the childish things.”(1 Cor. 13:11) As I grew older and wiser, I learned that love is so powerful it changes things. I realized to love someone was to encourage them at every opportunity. I learned you don’t have to like them to love them. Since God and love are the same, love is the most powerful force in the universe. “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”(1 John 4:8) Thank you, Donny, for all the good times and bloody noses, it taught me many life lessons.
Love is a core condition and not an emotional experience. We are born to love one another. Have you noticed it takes less energy to encourage someone than to berate them? Hate, on the other hand, is a learned condition. If you don’t believe it just visit a daycare and watch the toddlers play together, they are unaware of gender, color, or ethnicity. We can choose to love one another regardless of how we feel because it's our nature. It's more than an emotion or sentiment, it’s the universal law that governs the creation. Love is too often thought to be an erotic experience rather than a matter of the heart or used as a passing emotion instead of enduring character. Hate is a product of man’s rebellious nature, love is the total of God's character.
We can possess the character of God if we determine to love each other despite our differences. Love can best be understood in God’s own words. “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. Love is not rude, it is not selfish, and it cannot be made angry easily. Love does not remember wrongs done against it. Love is never happy when others do wrong, but it is always happy with the truth. Love never gives up on people. It never stops trusting, never loses hope, and never quits. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) For more about the nature of God and man read “Beam me up Commander” it’s free.
