15 Weeks to Love
WHY?
In John 13:35, Jesus tells us, "...everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."The voice of the church in this country is many things: judgement, correction, criticism, but love seems far away. Don't get me wrong, there are many acts of love; good people loving Jesus and serving others. But unfortunately, the majority of the church, or at least the loudest voices, are not portraying the love Jesus requires us to.
Our lack of love has caused so much pain...to all of us. Not only do we not love 'the world', we also don't love each other. How many Christians do you know have been hurt by other Christians? Let's face it, sometimes we're just too sensitive, but mostly we don't love each other like we should. How will anyone know we are His disciples if we don't love each other?
It's time to stand up and show the world what love is. Let's make the voice of love louder, so that not only will others know we're His disciples, they'll want to join in this irresistible, unstoppable love!
HOW?
15 Weeks to Love is a campaign to promote love in our lives by applying the 15 attributes of love shown in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. We'll apply one attribute to our lives each week, building additional attributes until we are fully walking in love.Week 1. Love is patient
Week 2. Love is kind
Week 3. Love is not envious/jealous
Week 4. Love does not brag/boast
Week 5. Love is not arrogant/proud
Week 6. Love is not rude/does not dishonor others
Week 7. Love does not seek its own/demand its own way
Week 8. Love is not irritable/easily angered
Week 9. Love does not count wrongs suffered/keep a record of wrongs
Week 10. Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness or delight in evil
Week 11. Love rejoices with truth/when truth wins
Week 12. Love never gives up/always protects
Week 13. Love always trusts/never loses faith
Week 14. Love always hopes
Week 15. Love always perseveres/endures
FEAR OF SIN
Our biggest challenge here is to not be afraid of sin. We're so scared that extending more love and grace will cause sin. This is a lie! And it's a purposeful one to keep you from loving to the fullest, the way Jesus called you to love. Just lay down your whole 'what's right and wrong' thing for 15 weeks and try to love more.Jesus said, 'if you love me, you will obey my commandments.' So if we can get people to enter into this love, maybe HE can get them to obey Him. Maybe the more we love Him, the less we sin. It's true! It's in the bible.
Right now, our fear of sin (and sinners) is so much louder than our desire to love that it drowns love out and makes it non-existent. No one can hear your love when they hear your judgment. Let God convict others. You just love them.
Love so that when people hear God's word, they can embrace it, not despise it.
Love, giving no reason to reject the conviction that God WILL place in people's hearts. Conviction isn't your job. It's His.
Love your spouse, love your kids, love your boss, love your friends, love His children. That's our job.
His job is to make people holy. And when we teach people how to love Him, they'll accept His correction and discipline. (I just have to point out because I know you may still be doubting, that I am not promoting sin. I am not saying there is no such thing as sin. Sin is real. I'm just saying, let's look at it the way God does.)
I know it may be hard, but if you can lay down your fear of sin for these 15 weeks and just try to walk in love…I think you'll be really surprised at the results, and you'll want to let go of fear and walk in love forever! Because hey, love never fails.
Hi JJ, Very well said. I was looking up the word patience online tonight. I really like this Scripture in James 5 7-8 it says: " 7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand." When I looked up the word paitence in the Greek, I found it is the word "makrothymeō" meanings: I.to be of a long spirit, not to lose heart; A.to persevere patiently and bravely in enduring misfortunes and troubles; B.to be patient in bearing the offenses and injuries of others; i.to be mild and slow in avenging; ii.to be longsuffering, slow to anger, slow to punish. God has a proper time to bring us into that which he has for us. This Scripture reminds me of a time when I was trying to conceive and my old Italian aunt said, "When the apple falls from the tree". What she was saying is that when the applie is ripe it will fall, and you don't want to eat it when it's not ripe. Waiting for a baby to be born is similar. No one wants their baby to come too early but it's so hard to wait. Sometimes we have to wait for the proper time for His hand to fully develop us. It takes patience, endurance, and trust. This Scripture reminds of that. The farmer has to wait for the harvest.... and there are times we have to wait. How difficult and yet how perfect.....Darlene
ReplyDeleteThis is amazing Darlene! Thanks for posting. There are so many beautiful thoughts in here that if we can grasp will transform our lives! God has been speaking to me lately about "patient endurance". I am finding it all over the new testament letters. I see it here in the Greek definition "persevere patiently". This is such a tough one for me, but because God's timing is so beautiful and perfect, and because I don't want to eat the fruit until it's ripe and meant to be eaten, I really want to grasp this. God is so much more patient than I am. God is love. So He is very patient. He is so patient with us! And He has a timing that is sometimes frustrating to us, but when we trust and watch it unfold, it really is beautiful. I think if God can be patient with me, then I can be patient too. You are so right, "how difficult and yet how perfect", giving so much more meaning to the verse "good things come to those who wait."
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