All We Need Is Love

It is fast approaching.... the day when people everywhere experience one of two situations....the first being a wonderful date with their significant other whom they absolutely adore, and the other well....a rare steak and An Affair to Remember in your pajamas sharing the couch with your dog. I am leaning toward the later due to the fact that I currently have no significant other. However, for my friends reading who will someday give hints to THE GUY.... I prefer fresh wild flowers and a nice 14 oz. rib eye medium rare with sauteed mushrooms and a Shiner. Just FYI.... anyway, with all this "love" in the air, I can't help but to think of my post last week about loving others. "Whoever does not know love does not know God, because God is Love."-1 John 4:8


The Lord has called us to be love to others. While there are several definitions of love and a few meanings of the word love, Paul clearly describes the characteristics of love in his first letter to the Corinthians. Paul is writing to the church at Corinth and advising them about how to love, encouraging them to pursue love, and explaining to them the importance of love in our everyday lives.

This week the "Love Chapter" (1 Corinthians 13) as it often is referred to, has been on my heart. So often I find myself trying to love as I have described it, not as the Lord has described it. I pick out portions of chapter 13 to apply to my life ignoring the others. It is much easier to only apply the parts of the passage that I feel like applying to my life on that given day at that given time. You see I am waiting on THE GUY to come along, I have specific criteria outlined, as most girls do, but being patient for the Lord to cross our paths is the hardest part. I believe in the Lord's divine timing, and right now is not it, but I pray that when the time is right my love will be just as Paul described it to be.

This prayer (which I derived from 1 Corinthians 13) has been mine this past week, and I pray that you will make it yours as well, whether you are in a relationship or not, loving our neighbors, friends and enemies too, is what we are called to do.

Heavenly Father,
Give me patience and help me to be kind.
I will not envy, I will not boast.
Take my pride, rude and self-seeking ways.
Guard my temper, and help me to forgive.
I will not delight in evil, but only in your truth.
Help me always to trust, protect, hope and persevere.
In all these things I pray that I will be LOVE to others.
It is By Your Grace. ~Amen.

The last verse of chapter 13 says "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13

In the words quoted by my amazing little sister.... "All we need is love, love, love."