But the Greatest of These is Love...

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.But the greatest of these is love. 1st Corinthians 13:13.

In my opinion, these are some of the most important words in the Bible. In fact, if I had to choose a verse that would define what the Bible is about, this one would be in the top ten. Sure, the Bible emphasizes the Gospel message. You know, how God created man, how (graced with the ability to choose) we screwed up His plan for us, how Christ redeemed for our sins, how we are able to accept this gift and spend eternity in the most awesome place that God ever created. But if you really pay attention to the themes of this book, you realize that it is not just explaining why we are here, and how we can accept God's grace and avoid the consequences of our sin. The Bible explains how we should live.

There are a billion self-help books out there, and many are extremely popular. Why? Because as a general rule, people aren't happy. It's not just because we are never satisfied with what we have, and are always thinking about how awesome our lives would be if things were different. It's because we don't know how to be happy. Sometimes we wonder if we even deserve to be happy.

Well let me tell you something. We aren't happy because we aren't focusing on the things that make us happy. You want to know how to be happy? Look at the way we were created! We were created in the very image of the One who said that love is the greatest thing that we are blessed with. We were created to love. To love not just God, but each other.

Think about it. When you do something for yourself, how long does that happiness last? When I get a great workout in, for example, I'm stoked. I'm full of endorphins and loving life. But that feeling stays for only a little while, 'cause if my next workouts aren't so great I get upset with myself and wonder if I'm getting out of shape. Say you take a vacation to some exotic place and spend a week or two relaxing and exploring. How long does that feeling of contentment stay, once you are back in the real world? Say you buy yourself a car, an ipod, a new item of clothing. How long does it take before that thing isn't new to you anymore? Before you start searching for something else?

Face it, when we try achieve happiness by pleasing ourselves, it never lasts. It wasn't meant to, because Life.Is.Not.About.Us. Say it again, and again. Understand this, and your life will seem so much more simple. Stop trying to do things for yourself!

Instead, do things for other people.

Last week I met this guy named Joe. He's a maintenance worker who was cleaning the yard of a friend of mine. We chatted for a while, and I told him that I'd love for him to stop by for dinner sometime (nothing romantic of course; I'm engaged and he is an older married man). Today I saw him again. He showed up at my door and asked me to make a call for him because his cell phone isn't working. I invited him in, and we made small talk after I placed the call. Turns out he's part Apache Indian (my nerdy history-obsessed self was fascinated), and was married to a blue-eyed lady with four kids, one of them in Heaven. He is nearly broke because his wife is in the hospital, and with little formal education he is trying to support his family as best he can by doing maintenance work for whoever needs it. He is one of the most fascinating people I have ever met. The stories he can tell! I told him to bring his wife by as soon as she is out of the hospital, and we can have dinner with my fiancee and just take time to learn more about each other. In the meantime Kip (my fiancee) and I are going to do whatever we can for his family. We don't have much in the way of material possessions or money, but we do have the most important asset in the world - love.

Love each other. How often do you take the time to get to know the people around you? REALLY know them. It's more than a smile, more than a "hey hope your day is going great". It's asking them about themselves, what they love, who they really are. It's using what you have to make their lives better. It's sharing. It's caring. It's love.

And love brings happiness. Joy. If you don't think this is true, you've never truly loved someone before.

You don't have to be best friends with someone to love them. You don't even have to know them! Offer a kid on a bike a ride home on a cold day. Tell someone you care about them - and prove to them that you do. Cook dinner for someone who is sick, and offer to stay with them for a little while. Bring someone a bouquet of flowers, not because you "like" them but because you want to see them smile. Offer to babysit so a couple can have time to relax together. Write an encouraging letter to someone who is hurting, and be there for them. All the time.

Give someone who you don't think deserves it a second chance. Or a third. Because who are you to say that they don't deserve it? Do you know them? Do you know what they are going through? Give this person an opportunity to show what they can do. If you are able to tell them what to do, then you are in a position to help them, to use who you are to help them become who you know they can be, to do what you know they can do.

Do you want to change the world? Then start now. Love your neighbors, your friends, everyone around you. God arranged the circumstances in your life so that you are exactly where He wants you to be. Nothing is left to chance when an omniscient, omnipotent God is on the throne! He loves us and created us to love other people. Before you ignore someone, before you tell yourself that they don't matter, that you don't have enough time for them, remember that God loves them just as much as you, and they are no less important to Him than you are. Who are you to say that your time, your money, you life should take priority over another's?

God is in control over your life. So quit worrying about making everything perfect. Quit worrying about the future. "Look at the birds of the air. They do not sow, or reap, or store away in barns, yet our Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" (Matthew 6:26). God has blessed you so you can bless other people! Take a look at your life - I'll bet that you remember and appreciate the things that others have done for you. My neighbors and friends have helped me and my fiancee a lot lately, and I will never forget it. I smile whenever I think about them. Love other people and you will be loved in return. You will be filled with a joy that cannot be described. Trust me I know!


So change the world. Change it with love.




...but the greatest of these is Love...