Liberty to love

1 Corinthians 13: 1-7--

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

We were listening to Derek Webb's song, "Love Is Not Against the Law." The title reminded Phil and I of Galations 5:22-23: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." There is so much freedom in acting in love. Love is limitless-- move in it as much as you want. Love is endless-- you can deal in it all of this life and for eternity. All the fruits of the Spirit are to be freely exercised! (Thinking in this way can cause giddiness.) Who is the Author and Source of this amazing love? Our Creator. The greatest commandment in living for Him is love:

"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." (Matt. 22:36-40.)

I like thinking about that; everything we're commanded to do is always first rooted in love for the Lord and then in us acting in His love to others. We don't gossip because it dishonors the Lord (as we're His children), and because it hurts others. We are patient and kind because those traits are fruits of the Spirit; God is patient and kind in love, and we exhibit that fruit as He changes us when we submit to Him and our relationship grows in love to Him. (Obedience falls under love; in John 14:15 Jesus says, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments.") And when we're patient and kind, it shows His love to others. So it's good to evaluate when you're about to speak or act: "Does this fall under love? Can it be categorized as love?"

He was working in my heart, showing me these things, and I had to thank the Lord for His incredible gift of love; His "yoke is easy" and His "burden is light" (Matt. 11:30)! Serving under a rule of love-- He's such a gracious and wonderful God! Go and be crazily generous with love! Our Father is RICH in it, and He's commanded us to do it! Deal it out to everybody (even enemies--look at Matt. 5:44-45)!