1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Psalm 40:1-11
“Living with Love in Our Hearts”
By: Rev. Ken Sauer, Pastor of Grace United Methodist Church, Soddy Daisy, TN
www.graceumcsd.org
What is “it”?
In any language, “it” is the most powerful expression of the most powerful emotion and experience in the world.
“It” is what everyone is looking for.
“It” is something everyone is starving for.
“It” is something many people have not yet experienced in this often dark and cruel world.
“It” is why Jesus came and died.
“It” is why there is a Christian Church and why Christianity has been spreading for the past 2,000 years!
“It,” of course, is “Love.”
An old song says: “You’re nobody till somebody loves you.”
And if that is true…then everybody is somebody because God loves us all!!!
But, as I said, not everyone knows about the love of God.
I was speaking with a colleague this past week who has been ministering to a teenager who has all the talent and potential in the world, but keeps doing things to harm herself…
…due to a self-loathing.
Recently she tried to commit suicide.
My colleague told me that he went to have a heart to heart talk with her a few days later.
She is a young person who has never experienced unconditional love.
She has been abused and used all her life.
During their conversation, my colleague stood up, went into another room where a Cross was hanging, took that Cross off the wall and brought it over to the teenager.
“Look at this!” he told her.
“This is how much you are loved!
This is how deeply you are loved!
This is how important your life is!”
I think we all need to take a good look at the Cross…every day…and tell ourselves this very same thing!
“This proves your self-worth.
This is how much God loves you and everyone else!
Now, go about your day believing it, and ask God to help you in your unbelief!”
The love of God is what changes us.
The love of God is what gives us a hope and a future.
The love of God is what gives us self-worth.
The love of God is what allows us to love others!
Karl Menninger once said, “Love cures people—both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it.”
Jesus opened our eyes to the true nature of love in Matthew Chapter 22: “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.
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
I was having a conversation with someone last week, and we agreed that the things we dislike in others are often the very same things we don’t like about ourselves.
Hatred of others comes from self-loathing.
Just think of all the destruction, violence and pain we inflict on others simply because we don’t like ourselves!
We must learn to love God and ourselves…
…and we do this by fully accepting the unconditional love God has for us!
Only then can we love others as well.
The Bible tells us that “God is love” and that “we love because God first loved us.”
Have we experienced the love of God?
In experiencing God’s love…
…we really do begin a love relationship with God and the rest of humanity.
If we love God the most, we will love others the best.
C.S. Lewis once said, “When I have learned to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now.”
How true!
Jesus calls us to love our neighbor.
C.W. Vanderbergh once wrote: “To love the whole world for me is no chore. My only real problem is my neighbor next door.”
I remember, as a kid, we had a neighbor across the street who would not—for some reason—give us the time of day.
That didn’t stop my parents from cheerfully saying: “Hi!” every time our neighbor was in his yard.
One day I asked my parents, “Why do you all bother to say ‘hi’ to that guy? He never even looks your way.”
My parent’s answer was very matter of fact…
…there were no explanations or complaints…
…just a hint of surprise at my question: “Because we are Christians.”
That stuck with me.
That impressed me.
Because we are Christians.
That’s what it’s all about is it not?...
…Christianity, that is…
…it’s about love.
If it ever becomes about anything other than love, we can know we have gotten off track.
We have wandered.
We have taken our eyes off Jesus…the Author and Perfector of our faith!
Paul writes in our Epistle Lesson for this morning, “If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would be only a noisy gong or a clanging symbol.
If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.”
I think we could even update this a bit more…to say…
“If I were the most eloquent person in all the world, and could ‘wow’ everyone with my abilities, but didn’t love, my eloquence would be nothing but annoying noise and racket!
If I were the smartest person in all the world and could move skyscrapers and entire cities with my faith, but didn’t have love, I would be nothing!
If I were the richest person in the world, and gave all those riches to the poor so that I could boast about it, but if I didn’t love I would gain absolutely nothing!!!”
As Paul tells us, “Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, 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.
Love never fails.”
That’s some pretty heavy stuff!
Just think about how much Jesus loves us!
Just think how patient and kind Jesus was with His disciples and followers…
…and with the multitudes around Him.
Just think how patient Jesus was with the ignorant and with the sick, poor, sinner and insane!
As Christians, we are to love others as Christ has loved us, and love is patient toward all people.
Just think how many persons would turn to Christ if we could only learn how to love!
Love is kind.
If someone were to pay us ten cents for every kind word we’ve ever spoken about other people, and then take back five cents for every unkind word we’ve ever spoken about other persons…
…would we be rich or poor?
As Christians we must never even come close to taking pleasure in the problems of other people!
John Wesley, the founder of Methodism wrote: “Those who love others are so far from making” the faults or failings of others “the subject of their conversation that they never speak at all about an absent person…except to speak favorably.
A busybody, slanderer, gossip or evil speaker is the same as a murderer,” Wesley writes, “One would just as well cut a neighbor’s throat as to destroy his or her reputation.”
Boy, Wesley sure had a good handle on the Spirit of Christ!
Love “always protects, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”
Love encourages good things and is always glad to hear about them.
This is one of the many traits of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus was always on the lookout for the good quality in others.
His eye alone saw the possibilities of the fishermen of Galilee whom He chose to be His followers.
He marveled at the Roman Centurion’s faith.
Jesus could see the queen in the harlot.
My friends, every heart is starving for this kind of treatment, and as the Body of Christ, we are called to give it to them!
Many years ago when an old Scottish minister died it was beautifully said of him: “There is no one left in our village now to appreciate the triumphs of ordinary folks.”
How about we become known as the church that let’s people know we appreciate them…
…that we love them…
…that they have value and great worth!!!
Love must not only be articulated but demonstrated.
At a Church retreat a truck driver told the other guys about the change Christ had made in his life, and then he was asked to think of some specific way in which he was different because of God’s love.
After a pause, he said, “Well, when I find somebody tailgating my truck, I no longer drive on the shoulder of the road to kick up pebbles and rocks on them.”
How simple but profound is this understanding of what it means to love people in relevant and demonstrable ways!
Just think of how much more bearable this life would be if all of us practiced love!
Most businesses would benefit greatly if the boss truly loved his or her employees and the employees knew it!
Most marriages would be happier if spouses heard and saw constant reminders that they were loved.
Most families would be happier if the parents constantly and lovingly affirmed their children.
And just think of how powerful the witness of the Church would be if we truly and fully loved God, neighbor and ourselves!!!
In John Chapter 15 Jesus basically says to His disciples, “Remain in my love and your joy will overflow.
Love one another in the same way I have loved you, and you will produce lasting fruit…”
…and then He straight forward says: “This is my command: Love each other.”
And back in John Chapter 13 Jesus proclaims: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all [people] will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Do we love one another?
If so, how do we show it?
For this is the greatest witness to the world—when Christians love!!!
As the hymn we sang a little while ago so rightly proclaims, “They will know we are Christians by our love.”
Let’s think about two very simple but extremely powerful principles as they relate to love.
Here’s the first: When it comes to love, say it.
We need to say it…
…we need to hear ourselves say it…
…others need to hear us say it…
…and we need to hear it from others!
What’s wrong with a general telling his troops he loves them?
Why doesn’t a boss tell his or her employees “I love you”?
Why shouldn’t a coach tell his or her players, “I love you”?
The second principle, when it comes to love, is show it!
Jesus said, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends…”
What are you doing, what am I doing to show that we love…
…not only our friends…
…but strangers…
…co-workers…
…other kids at school…
…even our enemies…
…what are we doing?
Do the people around us “know we are Christians by our love.”
If they do not…what is our Christianity worth?
In our Epistle Lesson, Paul says over and over:
“Love is…
…love does…
…love is not…
…love does not.”
In other words, love is proactive…
…it’s tangible…
…it’s practical…
…and it’s personal!
A simple touch can convey an incredible sense of love, affirmation and acceptance.
Children bloom in the sunshine of encouragement and positive feedback…
…and there is a child in the heart of all of us!
An old commercial asked parents: “Have you hugged your kids today?”
Good coaches high-five their players…
…good husbands hug their wives…
…good bosses give employees encouraging pats on the back…
…and good Christians hug each other, smile at one another, and laugh with one another.
Love sets off a divine chain reaction…
…love is the spark that kindles the fire of compassion…
…compassion is the fire that lights the candle of service…
…service is the candle that ignites the torch of hope…
…faith is the beacon that reflects the power of God…
…and God is the One Who creates the miracle of love!!!
God is love and God loves us more than we can imagine, therefore we ought to love others and love ourselves.
God’s love is unconditional and selfless…
Evangeline Booth, the daughter of the founder of the Salvation Army, sat in a squalid slum one day cleaning the sores of a drunk woman.
“I wouldn’t do that for a million dollars,” said a friend.
“Neither would I,” replied Ms. Booth.
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
As Christians it should be our ultimate goal to have a habitual love for God and neighbor.
This is what John Wesley called “Christian Perfection.”
Let’s tell every member of our families that we love them and give them several loving touches, pats, hugs, and kisses every day.
If you are a boss, manager, or employer, tell your employees that you love them and appreciate them for the work they do…
…If you are an employee do the same for your employers…
…If we have been at odds with someone, let’s go to that person and affirm our love for him or her regardless of our differences!
Now I must give you one word of warning: loving others and expressing our love verbally and tangibly opens ourselves up for risk…but that is the difference between the winners and losers in life…
…a winner is willing to risk not being like others…
…to rise above evil and hatred, and instead allow God’s love to flow!
Now allowing God’s love to flow through us to others involves risk, pain, and heartache…but it will bring a tidal wave of joy that washes the tough times away!
The winners circle is drawn with the ink of God’s love.
So, let’s get in it and be the winners God created us to be…
…because we really are not living unless we are living with God’s love in our heart!
