Just Stop Talking…

?The Lord gave me a word this morning ~ LOVE without action is lifeless.  Can you imagine if all Jesus did was TALK about the Cross?

I always ponder what I would be remembered by…  As in when I am gone – Who will others say I was?  I try really hard not to let men define me know, but I know on that day they will.  Through many preconceived assumptions many say they KNOW me, but really they do not.  And that is okay too.  But as I reflect back on my life it is my heart’s intention to not only speak of LOVE, but actually BE LOVE to all that I meet along the way on this journey.

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.

1 Corinthians 13

?Love is…

Patient

Kind

Rejoices with Truth

Protects others

Trusts

Hopes for the Best

Perseveres through Everything

It is true we can talk all day long about such displays of LOVE.  But the real proving ground is ~ Am I BEING love?  Overreaching to the point of no longer seeking to satisfy self or boast about how great I am at loving, I must, in order to be a complete work, put those words into verbs and be who I speak myself to be.  When I pass from this life onto the next not one soul is going to remember what I said, however, they will remember WHO I WAS.

So this morning I was thinking about Jesus and how He suffered so much to the point of sweating blood in order to WALK in LOVE.  I was considering how different our outcomes would be if He only TALKED about going to the Cross.  Instead He chose the difficult, more fruitful way to display LOVE.  I began to think about how Jesus didn’t even boast on Himself or was not self seeking in His laying down of His life.  He gave it all so we could have it all.  ACTION.  Our actions of sin required an action on His part and He lovingly relented.  He persevered in order we too are set on higher ground to persevere.  As a result, we have learned we can trust and hope in His love.

But what about all those who SPEAK of Love and yet do not in turn BE Love?  I am finding these days I do not trust their words anymore.  Maybe they are fine with being remembered in such a way?  But not me.  My continued prayer is to ask the Lord to infuse me with HIS LOVE so I am better able to demonstrate patience, kindness, a rejoicing in truth, a protection over the weaker ones, am trustworthy, hoping for the best in order to persevere through all life throws my way.

If it quacks like a duck, then likely it is a duck.  In other words, if someone is not acting like love towards you, then they honestly do not love you in truth.  In all probability, they love who you are FOR them.  But just like Jesus we are to BE LOVE to all, regardless of what they do or say to us.  I know I cannot do this on my own.  But with Him, I can be that display of LOVE and so can you.  As our hearts change, so do our walks.  Slowly, over time we become one with who we actually are for the sake of authenticity.  No more hiding, no more pretending to be that which we are not, but in demonstration we REJOICE IN TRUTH by our actions.

We cannot GIVE what we do not HAVE.

Sadly, many do not KNOW LOVE, so all they can do is TALK ABOUT LOVE.

I know and you know, once you come face to face with LOVE.  Your words decrease and your action to love increases.?

Today I am thanking Jesus for not only speaking about the cross, but actually enduring it as a proving ground for the sake of LOVE itself.  My prayer is that we all follow in His footsteps, doing the same one to another.  It is time to put down the microphone of boasting on self and be all that we are called to be.  A life laid down type of love is fueled by LOVE Himself.  We are in a LOVE WAR at the moment it would seem and those who will win are those who not only talk the talk, but also walk the walk.  LOVE WINS EVERY SINGLE TIME.

Apart from Him, we can do nothing.  Especially, LOVE…  A memory of Him and a memory of us should always ~ BE LOVE. ?

In His Everlasting Love,

?Angela ~ Marked By Heaven