portrait of love ...

Hello Friends–

I pray all is well and that your week is off to a great start

We are almost to the end of February –

                Amazing!

I have to say, I have thoroughly enjoyed our talks on LOVE

And as we near the end of what I like term ‘the month of love’,

What better verse to look at than I Corinthian 13:4-8

‘Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.’

‘Love endures with patience and serenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant. It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered]; it does not take into account a wrong endured.  It does not rejoice at injustice, but rejoices with the truth [when right and truth prevail].  Love bears all things [regardless of what comes], believes all things [looking for the best in each one], hopes all things [remaining steadfast during difficult times], endures all things [without weakening].

 Love never fails [it never fades nor ends]’ I Corinthians 13:48 AMP

‘Love is large and incredibly patient. Love is gentle and consistently kind to all. It refuses to be jealous when blessing comes to someone else. Love does not brag about one’s achievements nor inflate its own importance. Love does not traffic in shame and disrespect, nor selfishly seek its own honor. Love is not easily irritated or quick to take offense.  Love joyfully celebrates honesty and finds no delight in what is wrong. Love is a safe place of shelter, for it never stops believing the best for others. Love never takes failure as defeat, for it never gives up.’ I Corinthian 13:4-8 TPT

I love this verse [in all its translations] because it not only defines love in practical terms,

It paints a perfect picture of LOVE

It is so beautiful and can serve as both road map and guardrail –

for how we should love one another

However, this past Sunday at church, I got another picture of love –

                A living portrait of love!

To me, there is nothing more amazing than seeing someone,

operating with their God-given ability & fulfilling their God-given purpose

And, there are those unique times when the anointing of the LORD is so strong –

that you just sit in awe…

I had one of those moments at church Sunday.

My senior pastors, in a rare occurrence, delivered a message together.

The topic? Meant to Be: Questions – Developing Boundaries

It was the final sermon in a series that started the Sunday before Valentine’s Day.

It was a powerful talk on establishing healthy boundaries in your life.

And at the end of that sermon - recognizing that many have failed in the area of boundary establishment (and are now living with consequences and/or regrets – my pastor’s wife sang a song.

It had such an anointing on it and she sings like an absolute angel.

The song? It was simply titled, ‘Clean’ [a song by Natalie Grant]

But it was the look on my pastor’s face that caught my attention.

I had seen that look on her face –

when she would sit on the front row, listening to him teach and preach.

But I think this is the first time I observed that look on his face –

while she spoke and when she sang

IT WAS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!!!

They are each other’s greatest cheerleaders - I love it!

It was like a portrait of love ... in living color, live action

Simply Amazing!

If I have said it once, I have probably said it a dozen times,

‘I am a hopeless romantic!’ 

And it doesn’t have to be my story - 

My heart leaps with excitement and joy for any couple,

any couple that has been able to find and hold onto that amazing thing we call love.

My pastors will be celebrating 25 years of marriage this year.

They have been my pastors for 20 years.... 

Yet, I never exhaust the levels of gratitude I have for each of them individually and collectively as a couple. Their life has been such an example and a blessing to me. They are people of integrity. They love with the love of Jesus and they are genuine. And their love is evident to anyone who has been blessed with the privilege of being in their company for any length of time.

In fact – 

I was about to type, ‘if you can find a love like that, hold onto it with all you’ve got.’ 

However, a love like that is not found … it is built

It is firmly established through years of commitment, through good times and bad, with hours of listening, a keen ability to knowing when to keep silent, an unwavering resolve that if anything is going to come against us - it’s going to have to come prepared to fight two because you’ve got each other’s back. It is simply amazing … warms my heart and makes me smile!

That is some kind of special love.

And while we know there is no perfect thing – save our LORD,

I pray your love would be [as much as humanly possible] picture perfect,

a stunning reflection and portrayal of love

I’ve included a link to that sermon in the comments section below,

                Along with a link to Natalie Grant’s song ‘Clean’

Have a Blessed Evening!