Last month our team served at Kazembe Orphanage in Zambia. There were 28 children at the orphanage ranging in age from 1 to 10 years old.
This past month the Lord really showed me that He’s given me a “Mother’s heart”. In the past I would have told you that I loved kids, but that was because I thought that was the mold I was supposed to fit. However, I really did fall in love with these children at the orphanage. I found so much joy in holding and loving the babies. It didn’t matter how many times I got peed on (leaky cloth diapers) or pooped on…or worse. I felt so privileged to be Christ’s tangible arms last month. I wanted the best for these precious children.
Since I have been in Africa, God has been showing me so much about love. Love for my team, love for myself, love for God, love for those we minister to, and love for our contacts.
“But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way. If I speak on tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging 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 have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.” – 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:3
God has been showing me that it all comes back to love. That I am NOTHING without love. It does not matter if I can speak in tongues, or prophesy, or have huge faith that can move mountains, or have knowledge that answers all mysteries….if love is not at the heart of it all then it is useless.
Love is so important. So what exactly is love? Well God is the very definition of love (1 John 4:16). Love and God go together….you cannot have one without the other.
“Love does not want what it does not have. Love does not strut, doesn’t have a swelled head. Doesn’t force itself on others. Isn’t always “me first”. Doesn’t fly off the handle. Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others. Doesn’t revel when others grovel. Love puts up with anything. Love trusts God always. Love always looks for the best. Love never looks back, but keeps going to the end.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Message Version)
Love never fails. “Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day, praying in tongues will end, understanding will reach its limit.” (1 Corinthians 13:8 Message Version)
What if we were to put others above ourselves? What if we were to be the first ones to love? To love even when others do not love us? To love even with the possibility of getting hurt and our hearts breaking?
Can we even love like this? No. We cannot love like that without God. God is love and love is God. Only God can show us and help us how to love like that. Some days it is a huge struggle to love and that is when I have to come to God and fall on my face before Him and let His love pour out of me onto others. God is the only one who can love and He needs to be the One to help us love. God’s love is limitless and knows no bounds.
“And I pray that you being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”- Ephesians 3:17-19
I want to be able to Love like that. To actually love people the way God is calling us to. To actually experience God’s love and pour out His Love back to Him and on others. What if we were to love others with God’s limitless love? How would that change the world and change how people see Christians and God? The world needs this kind of love.
I want to know and experience how deep and how wide and how high and how long is the love of God. Do you?
