True Love

Until 1988, our family was 3 - then, quite suddenly, it became 5! Not long after we brought the twins home, there was [also] a sudden change in the noise level. There's a spiritual noise-factor described in Scripture, often overlooked. "If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, then I have become only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal." (1 Corinthians 13:1). We all like to think of ourselves as loving but, truth is, we're really not very good at the kind of love written about in this New Testament chapter. This word "love," also translated "charity," is natural to none of us - it comes only from God. "Beloved, let us love and seek the best for one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God." (1 John 4:7). Quite often I find myself so engrossed in myself, I fail to and be sensitive to those around me; I may not hear the noise at the moment but soon The Holy Spirit within me plays-back my gonging and clanging. God's Love is "enduring, kind and thoughtful" (V.4) and it is not "self-seeking" (V.5); of faith, hope and love - love is the greatest (V.13). Honestly, Godly Love is often beautifully applied with quiet effectiveness. We're wise to ask ourselves: is the love we're displaying God's True Love or are we just making noise?