Sisters, Take a walk down memory lane with me....It was sometime in 1984. My girls and I (ages 14 give or take) were walking down the streets of Brooklyn singing as loudly as we could, "Oh, Oh, Oh, what's love got to do, got to do with it!!" We laughed hysterically as if we had any inclination of what love REALLY was. We high-fived, with an unspoken understanding that if it came to it, we didn't need love.
Girlfriends, if I could speak to those 14 year-old girls today, I'd say EVERYTHING!
In our last devotional you were reminded that God Himself IS LOVE (1 John 4:16). Sisters consider that God IS…and if He IS Love, then He IS EVERYTHING! Now that we know the origin of love, let's make it applicable to our day-to-day lives.
Let's Do The Work:
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 tells us...
1. Love IS Patient... Patience is having the ability to accept, tolerate, deal with things assured that YOU have what it takes to get through. Take a moment and write down the things that cause you to lose patience. Speak to it. (yes, out loud). Tell those things, "I am replacing my lack of patience with love, with God."
2. Love IS Kind... Sisters, you'd be surprised to know that "kind" and "being kind" are two totally separate things. I ask that you allow your being some much deserved kindness. You deserve the Love you give. The kind of love my sister Michelle spoke about in this devotional. The kind that "responds with goodness."
3. Love does not Envy nor does it Boast... Now this is important for your spiritual being, your health and your overall walk in this life - if there is anything, and I mean anything that you are envious of LET IT GO! That space where envy lives, God meant for love, blessings, and joy. Being envious is like wearing shoes that are too small; you can't pay attention to anything else, you waste time wondering if anyone knows you sacrificed a part of yourself to impress others, they hurt like heck, and by the time you take them off you feel even worse than when you put them on! LET IT GO!
4. Love is not Proud... 1 John 4:19 tells us, "We love because He first loved us." God is excited about you! He loves you from the crown of your head to the soles of your feet! Sisters, there is no need to substitute Love with Pride. Yes, acknowledge your accomplishments, but be sure not to confuse the two. You know that you've done this by taking inventory of how you feel. Love continuously feels good. Pride causes you to question your motives.
So as we honor love this month I challenge you to make a "What's Love Got to Do With It? list in your journal and answer that question daily, then reflect on it at the end of the month. I guarantee you, they'll be a change. ❤️
