Live Your Life in Love
love |lʌv| noun [ mass noun ]1 a strong feeling of affection: She was in love with life.
We experienced such a powerful time of transparency and openness this month at our Equipped by Faith gathering with my dear friend, Judy Brooks. (If you missed it, check out the blog here!) Nights like these remind me of the power of good, Godly friends, relationships and small groups that push us to pursue God's truth through His word, and His healing through sharing our own personal testimonies!
"Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results." James 5:16
When we truly love one another, the way the Bible encourages us to, our lives begin to flourish and our prayers seem to not only be answered but multiplied!
Look at Job, for instance...
“After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before.” Job 42:10
Job had lost everything! His family, his home, his wealth--even his health began to diminish. But in the moments where Job's friends and even his wife encouraged him to curse God and die, he did the opposite. He humbled himself before God, took the focus off of himself and began praying for his friends. (And if you read to the end of the book, you'll see how God gave it all back to Job--in a double portion!)
The Bible encourages us to love others. But what does living a life of love really look like?
“Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.” Romans 12:9-10
The love chapter in 1 Corinthians 13 tells us that love is patient and kind, it is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not keep a record of being wronged and it does not rejoice in injustice. True love never gives up, it never loses faith, it is always hopeful and it endures through every circumstance.
Does our love for others look like that?
I've found that love is the most powerful tool we have to encourage others, to bring peace to places of discord and to heal broken relationships. Our God is love--what is more powerful than that? As believers, we should show love better than anyone else on the planet!
Living a life of love means you delight in honoring other people (Romans 12:10, above). It means you rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn (Romans 12:15). My favorite part about our monthly sisterhood gathering is watching the women who come surround one another in love through trials and in celebration. They know they can come to each meeting, just as they are – knowing they will be accepted, whether they are struggling or succeeding.
Life is all about loving God and loving people, and the best way to do that is by becoming more and more like our Heavenly Father. He is love. Let's all become a little more like love today, putting others' needs above our own and searching for ways to serve and honor someone else.
Put on love today!
XO-
Sabrina