June 8, 2023 - 1 Corinthians‬ ‭13:1-3

“If I were to speak with eloquence in earth’s many languages, and in the heavenly tongues of angels, yet I didn’t express myself with love, my words would be reduced to the hollow sound of nothing more than a clanging cymbal. And if I were to have the gift of prophecy with a profound understanding of God’s hidden secrets, and if I possessed unending supernatural knowledge, and if I had the greatest gift of faith that could move mountains, but have never learned to love, then I am nothing. And if I were to be so generous as to give away everything I owned to feed the poor, and to offer my body to be burned as a martyr, without the pure motive of love, I would gain nothing of value.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 TPT

Lord, help us take these verses to heart and apply them to our lives. They are challenging. Open our eyes to places where we have focused too much on other things and neglected love. Show us how we need to realign those areas with your love. Show us if there are people in our lives that we need to extend more love to. Show us if there is any unforgiveness in our lives that we need more of your love to help us deal with.

Lord, we ask for you to expand our hearts and our ability to love. Extending love always is a risk, but it is a risk worth taking. Help us always remember that. If we extend love and it is rejected or we get hurt in return, help us immediately run to you for healing. Don’t let us allow bitterness to take root or fear to come in and cause us to withhold love. We want to freely love without fear.

Lord, we thank you for how you freely and unconditionally love us. You love the same whether someone loves you back or hates you. We are so grateful for that. I know I fail you so many times a day, but your love is continuous. Teach us that kind of love.

In Jesus name, amen.