Mel, Mariah, and Madden

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5, NIV

IT’S NO SECRET that Shaquille O’Neal likes basketball.

It shouldn’t surprise you to find out that Bill Gates likes computers.

Or that Mel Gibson likes to act.

Or that Mariah Carey likes to sing.

Or that John Madden likes football.

Or that Ekaterina Gordeeva likes ice skating.

After all, it’s pretty obvious, right? Shaq spends his time playing basketball. Bill Gates made a fortune selling Windows software and other computer-related products. Mel Gibson makes a new movie every year. If Mariah Carey didn’t like singing, she’d probably quit her job and do something else.

You can usually tell what people like by what they do or say. In the same way, it’s easy to tell that God thinks love is absolutely cool. He talks about it constantly. He says things like “love one another,” “love your neighbor,” “love the Lord your God,” over and over. And he is always loving; the Bible says more than forty times, “his love endures forever.” The Bible also says, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13, NIV).

Of course, the greatest indication of how God feels about love is that he commands us to love him, to love each other, and even to love our enemies. His commands make it clear that love is right. To love God is right. To love others is right. To love even our enemies is right—because God says so.

REFLECT: How does God feel about love? How do you know? How has he shown his love to you? Does your behavior show that you value love? Why or why not? How does your behavior show your beliefs about right and wrong? Are you obeying God’s command to love him? to love others? to love your enemies?

ACT: Write your own version of 1 Corinthians 13:4-5, using your own words to complete these sentences:

• Love is …

• It does not…

• It is not…

PRAY: “Loving God, thank you for showing me how to love others. Help me to put your commands into action.”