Journey Day 4

Why is it so difficult to love unconditionally? It's so easy to get angry and annoyed, but so difficult to love always. Hate and dissension are easy to come by, but these things are not of God. Things like that won't build anyone up, it will just create rifts in relationships. 1 Peter 1:22 says, "Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart." We are to love one another earnestly because God has made our hearts pure. When we love someone earnestly, we love them sincerely

and purposefully, choosing each day to love them, in the good and in the bad. Love isn't a

feeling,it isn't warm and fuzzy, its a choice. Every single day, as Christians, we are called to love

those in our life. It isn't an easy thing to do, but it is what we are called to. Colossians 3:14 says,

"And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony."

The "above all these" in the passage is a compassionate heart, kindness, humility,

meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving each other. Above all of these

things, is love. It's not only more important, but it binds everything else together. If we have

not love, we have not compassion.If we have not love, we cannot be kind or humble. If we have

not love, meekness will be far from us, and patience will be unattainable. Love is so

important, that it makes every other good thing in the world possible...even attainable. 1

Corinthians 13 says "if I have not love, I am nothing." We can have faith that will move a

mountain, we can understand everything and have infinite knowledge, but if I have not love, I

am nothing. "Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends." (1 Corinthians 13:7-8a) Everything else will pass away but love will remain.

"So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love." (1

Corinthians 13:13) On my journey of becoming a woman of Christ-like character, I pray that

God will teach me to love as he does. To have a kind, humble, compassionate heart, filled with

forgiveness and understanding. I pray he will create in me an enduring love.