Sometimes God allows us to encounter unconditional love, with people that we meet here on earth, that is a reflection of HIS great Love. With parent and child relationships this is more common or a least something more natural, but then I met Ms Elise.For the past 4 years this 87 year old sweet heart, gives me a kiss on the cheek every Sunday that I see her here at LifeSong church. After the kiss she says "I Love You Sooo Much". Early on, I wondered why did she love me so much? I haven't done anything to deserve her love. We are not blood kin and I just met her 4 years ago. But I Love her Sooo Much because her whole being seems to be LOVE.
She is funny too. Ms Elise has been dealing with health issues and sometimes she shares that with me. Last year (as a joke), I accused her of smoking cigars and that was the reason of her declining health. I even went so far to bring a cigar to her while she was in Sunday school class and say "hay lady you dropped this on the floor, and you can't smoke these things here" She just giggled and said "I've been looking for that thing all morning". She always gets the last laugh.
It's people like Ms Elise that God has put in my path that helps me remember Gods Love is HUGE. Its people like Ms Elise that makes me so thankful to be in ministry.
It's people like Ms Elise that God has put in my path that helps me remember Gods Love is HUGE. Its people like Ms Elise that makes me so thankful to be in ministry.
What do we learn from Ms Elise and her ability to love and encourage others? I believe it can be found in scripture:
1 Corinthians 13
1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;[b] 6it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
13So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Heading North
1 Corinthians 13
1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;[b] 6it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
13So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Heading North
Pastor Tim