Multiply Your Love

Blessings everyone and welcome to day 37 of this Multiply Lent devotional. Today we're going to be multiplying your love and the word is coming from 1 Thessalonians 4:9 and the word says, now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. So God ingrained the ability to love in us when he created us. We, we, when we are born, we come into the world already knowing how to love. As babies, it's basically all we really know how to do besides eating and sleeping. It is a fundamental action and need. God not only puts this ability in us, He modeled it for us. He loved the world so much that He gave us His Son, Jesus Christ, as a Savior. He has also told us to love our neighbors as ourselves, and He reminds us that this is the way people will know we are Jesus' disciples. In this scripture, Paul is applauding the believers in Thessalonica for their love for one another. He also gives them several exhortations. He urges them to increase their love, to lead peaceful lives, mind their own business, and be industrious. And that's in verse 11 through 12. Love is so important to God that he went into details of what love is in 1 Corinthians 13. And in 1 Corinthians 13, It said, if I speak in the tongues of men, of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clingle— a clinging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing. But what is love? Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud, it does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and also always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease. Where there are tongues, they will be stilled. Where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put away childish things behind me. I put the ways of childhood Behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these 3 things remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. Love is so important. Now that we know how to love, we must continue to spread love and share the gospel of Jesus Christ. So we say, Our Father, Abba, thank you for showing us love and for teaching us how to love. Help us to show others what you have taught us and to continue to help others feel your heart through us. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Wanted to take out this time and for, for multiplying in love. We need to multiply, multiply in what love is. We need to multiply in patience. We need to multiply in kindness. We need to multiply in not being envious of others. We need to multiply in not boasting. We need to multiply in not being proud. Um, we need to make sure that we're not multiplying in self-seeking agendas, and we need to make sure that we're, we're not multiplying in anger, um, and not multiplying in records of wrongs. We don't want to keep those records. So as we embark on this day 37 of this Lent devotional. I pray that you go out and you multiply in your love. Blessings. Thank you for joining.