Our Greatest Aim

1 Corinthians 14.1 commands let love be your greatest aim.image

I find myself more irritable than I have ever been. It seems the older I get the less patient and gentle I am becoming. I am not alone.

Not only do many of the ‘good’ people feel this way but the world around us is in an apparent meltdown. Both within this country and outside to the rest of the world, people are in chaos with people killing, stealing and destroying one another and their property.

In the midst of all this hatred, the gospel, the Christian religion, sends forth a clarion call to all of its adherents to let love be our greatest aim. I confess my own inadequacy at obeying God Who is love in this most fundamental of all the Christian teachings.

God Himself commanded only two things of His followers: love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength and love our neighbor as our self. God is love and those who claim to be His children must also love.

Practically this means turning the other cheek when struck, going the extra mile with those who aren’t so friendly, forgiving the offensive and leaving revenge to Him Who will judge all people upon their transition from this life to the next.

When God lived among us He humbled Himself from His awesomeness as Deity instead becoming a man, and not just any man but a servant, the least of men. He therefore commands His people to likewise humble themselves, surrendering their agendas and instead love others by serving others regardless of their response or feelings toward us.

So easy to understand but so difficult to live. So easy to read but so difficult to remember in the moment of my irritation.

The end is described as a world grown cold in its love for one another.

Perhaps we are closer to that end than we realize but for the people of God love must be our greatest aim making our relationship with God increasingly more obvious so that He can win more to His point of view before His return.

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