Series: Love
Proverbs 4:8 GNT
James 1:5 ESV
Matthew 7:7-8 ESV
Matthew 19:14 ESV
Colossians 3:14 ESV
I Corinthians 13:1-3 ESV
I John 4:18 ESV
We often think of love as being a person, an animal, or a physical item we can touch.
I have to admit I have favorite sweaters, leggings, and even socks during the winter.
As always wise King Solomon gives us a slightly different way to think about love.
In Proverbs 4:8 Solomon wrote, “Love wisdom, and she will make you great. Embrace her, and she will bring you honor.”
I have to admit that until I read this proverb I’d not thought about loving wisdom. However, it makes perfect sense.
Loving and seeking wisdom means we embrace the gift of wisdom.
James 1:5, “any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
In much the same way, when I first read James 1:5 I was astonished by God’s generosity. I must have been in my twenties. While I read scripture growing up I must confess my exposure to scripture came from children’s Sunday school. I’ve said before that I’ve been in church for as far back as I can remember. I was the only girl child in my family and it was the 1950’s. My mother dressed my brother in slacks and a bow tie and I was always dressed in a frilly pink dress. She was (is) an excellent seamstress so she might have made our clothes even then. I say that because as grew older she always made my clothes.
Dresses were required attire in school until the early 70’s. I remember being really relieved that I could finally wear slacks to school. No jeans, but at least girls weren’t required to wear a dress. I always thought it was terribly unfair even to the point of being unwise for girls to wear dresses every day.
Finally wisdom did prevail and I was thrilled beyond belief! I loved being able to wear pants (especially in the winter). Now when I’ve mentioned that to young girls they are astounded that we were required to wear a dress every day to public school.
Requiring that really was unwise!
I do remember praying on really cold mornings when I was headed to school, “Please God don’t let me freeze to death!”
We might laugh about that prayer now, but I really meany it because going outside for recess in winter was required.
Oh how I did pray! Matthew 7:7-8 tells us, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” I didn’t know in the early 1960’s if that scripture referred to my prayer that I wouldn’t freeze during recess but I certainly hoped it did. I seriously asked God for help on cold days!
Now some might thing that scripture only applies to asking, seeking, and finding is in reference to salvation. I did think it referred to saving me from the cold!
Post Seminary I still think that verse is open to our need at the time. Here’s the reason why: when I first heard that verse I was young. When I had a need like ‘how to survive really cold temperatures when wearing a dress and thin tights’ I prayed. I seriously asked God to protect me from freezing. I believe God answered that prayer.
After all scripture is really clear in Matthew 19:14, “Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” Similar words were also included in Luke 18:15 and Mark 10:13.
Let the children come and bring their prayers! I’ve known since I was a young child that Jesus loved me. My prayer is that until the day I pass over I will remember that Jesus loves me.
I happen to believe it is one of the strongest statements of faith we can carry with us. That’s because love counts…it matters. Love counts to us individually and collectively.
Colossians 3:14 says, “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”
Making a good argument for the message of the gospel does matter, but without love it’s meaningless.
I remember reading I Corinthians 13:1-3 when I was in junior high school and I was so moved by it that I decided I wanted to memorize it. It begins, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”
What struck me (by the power of God) was that I realized that while English,Social Studies, and Math were important subjects to study, love matters more. That was a turning point for me. I knew I wanted to learn more about God and scripture than anything else. Studying scripture and listening/waiting for the voice of God has been my life’s work. Studying Hebrew in Seminary gave me a thirst for the original text. Because the Seminary requirement for a Master of Divinity was 144 graduate level hours, I was not able to study Koine Greek in Seminary, but I was given tools so I could study it on my own.
I love studying scripture…I am a geek.
I am a geek for God/Jesus and for God’s love and personal touch in my life.
In addition to that the Spirit of God is alive and well and when we allow and listen for God’s leading and the movement of the Spirit, God is ever so faithful.
We have nothing to fear. I John 4:18 tells us, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”
When I have been afraid, I knew where to turn.
God has never failed me and will not fail you!
Spiritual Practice: Turn
Ask God to communicate with you. Sit quietly and wait for the Spirit to move. It may take time for God to clear your head, but God will move.
In Jesus, Deborah
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