Love IS as love DOES

1 Corinthians 13:1-7 (NIV)
1 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.
2 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.
3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

The most important element in cultivating a Kingdom atmosphere in your home, in your church, in your realm of relationships is LOVE. The greatest Kingdom rule given us by God is to love Him with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength as well as to love others as ourselves. Our love for God, then is meant to overflow into compassionately seeking the well-being of others as ourselves.

We are to love God
with all of our heart – the core of our desires and affections
with all of our mind – conforming our thinking to His Word
with all of our soul – placing the uniqueness of our personalities under His control and with all of our strength – using our body and energy to perform His will.
If we adults lay this down as our priority, and live it out in our homes, our children will pick up some valuable insights into building firm foundations in life. God’s Kingdom definition of love – if we choose to apply it – will transform not only the atmosphere, but also the dynamics of our homes.
Love always involves an element of connectedness, an important trait for establishing a healthy family. It can best be defined as the degree of closeness and warmth between children and their parents. It includes spending quality time together, having fun, sharing leisure times and being involved in events and homework. 1 Corinthians 13 gives us 5 love lessons for the family.
Love Lesson 1: (13:1) Words ring hollow unless they are backed up by genuine love. Our talk must be backed up by actions. Your actions must demonstrate to your children that the things they are struggling with get addressed, the areas they need comforting in get comforted, the esteem they legitimately need gets rewarded, and the time they crave with you gets offered, or it’s just “cheap clanging gongs.”
Love lesson 2: (13:2) – It’s possible to look, act, even sound very spiritual and still amount to nothing. If we are more focused on ourselves than our home, that’s what will come through. If the foundation for our spiritual experience is something other than love, in God’s eyes, it is “nothing at all.”
Love lesson 3: (13:4) Raising Kingdom folks in the home always keeps the best interests of the others (including our children) at heart, no matter how busy your schedule, how tired you feel, or how hopeless the situation may appear – and it always requires patience.
Love Lesson 4: (13:4,5) Jealousy, pride, and conceit are the three deadly enemies of any home. True love is seeking GOD’S will and destiny for the other person, not seeking your will and destiny through the other person. The largest love is often revealed in the smallest acts. Permissive parenting doesn’t produce Kingdom kids; it creates cotton-candy kids…kids without the strength or substance to make it through when life gets challenging. To develop strength and substance in your children, you’ll need to model it for them and with them during trials and mistakes that you both will encounter along life’s path. Remember, one day the toys will break and the clothes get too small, but a spiritual heritage will cross generations. That is the thig you give to your kids that will last forever.
Lesson 5: (13:7) How many times do parents bring up the past while correcting children in the present. How many times do spouses bring up the past, possibly in a counseling session, when finally one spouse chimes in, “Well, I can forgive, but I can’t forget.” True love and forgiveness work in family life. It needs to be practiced – daily. What 1 Corinthians 13 boils down to is unconditional love. As husbands and wives, we must never lose sight of the vow of unconditional love made one another during the wedding ceremony and we should also be aware how that extends to our children. The depth to which we adhere to those vows will determine the spiritual strength of our homes.