Greater Love | Day 1
Podcast Intro [00:00:00]:
Are you experiencing greater things in this season? We want to hear about it. Share your story at transformation at soulcitychurch.com.
Brandon Henderson [00:00:11]:
Welcome to the Greater Things daily devotional, where we're asking the question, God, what is the greater thing you want to do in me and through me? Wherever you are, quiet your soul and pray this ancient prayer with me. Come, holy spirit. This week, we're meditating on greater love and what that could look like in our lives. Today's devotional is out of 1st Corinthians 13 4 to 7. It says, love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast.
Brandon Henderson [00:01:02]:
It is not proud. It does not dishonor others. It is not self seeking. It is not easily angered. It keeps no records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Did you ever participate in a school talent show? If you have, perhaps you practice your routine, singing, dancing, rapping or acrobatics at home prior to the talent show.
Brandon Henderson [00:01:43]:
That's the smart thing to do, especially if you had your eyes on winning. Now imagine you're at the talent show. You're backstage, peeking your eyes between the curtains to see all the faces minutes before you hit the stage. Suddenly, your name is called and you walk out on stage and yell out, I'm a great dancer. I'm a great singer. I've been doing it for years. I have a 5 range singing octave and I hit every dance part with passion and accuracy. I've taken personal lessons for my entire life.
Brandon Henderson [00:02:23]:
I definitely deserve to win. Thank you. Then you simply walk off stage. To no one's surprise, you don't win the talent show that night. Why not? Because at the end of the day, we care less about what people tell us and more about what people show us. We often ask the question, what does it look like? And in our 1 Corinthians 13 passage, the apostle Paul is giving a vision of what love looks like and doesn't look like, On the heels of talking about the importance of spiritual gifts and the necessity of serving and relying on your Christian community, Paul continues the conversation by putting clear emphasis on love. He wants the Corinthians to know that it's entirely possible to do good without love. Why? Because love is more than a word.
Brandon Henderson [00:03:28]:
It's more than something we think about and talk about. It is something that we show. It's something we do. It is a deliberate decision and not simply a feeling. Paul is essentially saying that love looks like something. He says it looks patient. It looks kind. It doesn't look envious.
Brandon Henderson [00:03:52]:
It doesn't look boastful. It doesn't look proud. It doesn't look dishonoring. It doesn't look self seeking. It doesn't look easily angered. It doesn't look unforgiving. It doesn't look joyful over evil. It looks rejoiceful over the truth.
Brandon Henderson [00:04:13]:
It looks protective. It looks trustworthy. It looks hopeful. It looks persistent. The thread of this description can be summed up in 4 words. Love is others focused. Biblical love is radically sacrificial and concerned about the well-being of others. Think about it.
Brandon Henderson [00:04:37]:
Showing patience to the coworker who asks you for more explanation than you felt necessary ultimately demonstrates love to them. Genuinely encouraging and celebrating your friend after they accomplish a life goal that you have, rather than entertaining envy or jealousy within, ultimately demonstrates love. Not being easily angered by your children's unwanted behavior ultimately demonstrates love to them. See, when we can slow down in our day to day lives and ask ourselves the question, how can I be others' focus right now? We will be more likely to act in love. Or another way to put that question is, what does love require of me? We know that Jesus is the greatest example and fulfillment of that question. He knew that love would require that he would lay down his life for all humanity. Love required that he did what we were incapable of, saving ourselves and transforming ourselves. In Jesus, our starting place is that his love for us looks like 1st Corinthians 13:4-7.
Brandon Henderson [00:05:52]:
And the good news is that Jesus doesn't simply give you and I an example of what love looks like. He gives us his Holy Spirit, who is our teacher, and power, comforter, and helper as we endeavor to not only talk about greater love but show greater love. Now I invite you to repeat this prayer after me. Come, Holy Spirit. I welcome your presence. God, I thank you for the specific ways that you love me. Your love for me is patient and is kind. It is not easily angered.
Brandon Henderson [00:06:39]:
Your love for me keeps no record of wrongs. It always protects, always trusts, always loves, always perseveres. Thank you for a love that is reliable. Would you continue to take me deeper into the reality of how much you love me? I pray, as I experience your love, it becomes all the more natural to extend your love to others. I ask that you would help me to see others the way that you see them. Help me to grow in my capacity to being others focused as opposed to simply being me focused. I ask that you would help me to recognize specific ways that I can demonstrate love to those that I interact with today. In Jesus's name.
Brandon Henderson [00:07:38]:
Amen.