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Above all, Love
Tim Savage14Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Colossians 3
“Above all” – ‘before anything else’, ‘give a higher priority to’ and ‘nothing is as important as’ – love. In all that we go through, relationship problems, financial crisis, illness and health issues, success, celebrations or promotion: we must love. Love is a genuine caring for someone, placing their needs ahead of your own. It means that I have to put down the phone or set aside the project that needs to be finished in order to focus and give my full attention to the person God has put in front of me.
Through Him we can solve any problem if we have love. Our spouse or our co-worker, our boss or our neighbor are not the enemy. The enemy is the enemy. In loving others, we defeat the plans of the enemy, making a way for God’s peace and plan to work.
How can I love others more? I can pay attention when someone talks to me, give them my full focus and not treat them like an inconvenience and distraction from my “real responsibilities”. Above all, they are my real responsibility because nothing is more important than love.
There are some very real and very practical things I can do. 1) Make myself more available to see and talk to people. 2) Take a genuine interest in what they have to say. I am always so blown away by people’s testimonies, everyone has a story. 3) Look them in the eyes when we’re talking, not scanning the crowd for “better” opportunities. I can’t tell you how many people have thanked me for taking the time to have the conversation. They shouldn’t have to thank me, it should be automatic. 4) Try not to rush away to the next whatever. Sometimes I really have to run because my responsibilities require my presence, but whenever possible I need to slow down and show real love by giving generously of my time and attention.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for reminding me that nothing is more important than loving Your people –
Christian and non-Christian alike. It’s through Your love that real breakthrough and real life happens. Please grant me a greater capacity to love.
In Jesus name,
Amen
