Good morning…
Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled (1 Corinthians 13:8-10, MSG).
Love never dies, so loving well is the best investment we can ever make. Inspired speech will lose its impact. The power of elaborate prayers peters out. Our human understanding is extremely limited. Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things (Ecclesiastes 11:5, NLT).
With all this lack of clarity, certainty, understanding, what are we ordinary people to do as we face the hard challenges of life each day?
Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37, NIV). Jesus’ repetition of Deuteronomy 6:5 grounds us each in our single daily task. Once we begin aligning all of our heart, all of our soul and all of our mind in actively loving the Lord our God, then whatever decisions we make flow from the heart of Christ beating in our chests. From a place of not knowing, not seeing, not understanding we are given just enough inner light to inch our way through the dark unknown to the next loving step that is ours to take.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” Then Jesus continues to illuminate our pathway forward. And the second (commandment) is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:38-39, NIV). Jesus repeats the ancient wisdom of Leviticus 19:18. We live each day deeply rooted as followers of the living Christ. Grounding us securely, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8, NIV). Remaining at home in Christ as Christ is at home in us, we live from a place of innermost peace, loving our neighbor and loving our selves in a balanced, mutually beneficial way. Beyond any effort of our own, our lives begin to overflow with the love of God, abundant love that never ever dies.
For now what we say about God is always incomplete, but someday the Complete will arrive. In that sacred moment, our incomplete understanding will be cancelled, dropped, abandoned, scrapped. For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim (blurred) reflection [of reality as in a riddle or enigma], but then [when perfection comes] we shall see in reality and face to face! Now I know in part (imperfectly), but then I shall know and understand fully and clearly, even in the same manner as I have been fully and clearly known and understood [by God] (1 Corinthians 13:12, AMPC).
I ask again, “With all this lack of clarity, intense uncertainty, and incomplete understanding, what are we imperfect people to do as we face the hard challenges of life each day?”
Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 14:1a, NIV).
Do everything in love (1 Corinthians 16:14, NIV).
Love never dies (1 Corinthians 13:8, MSG).
So what do we do when we don’t understand how we are to put to use this new day at hand?
Quite simply, we learn to walk with the Lord down life’s dimly lit path, sharing gracious words and acts of loving kindness with every person we encounter each day. “Arise [from spiritual depression to a new life], shine [be radiant with the glory and brilliance of the Lord]; for your light has come, And the glory and brilliance of the Lord has risen upon you,” (Isaiah 60:1, AMP).
…Sue…
