The Gift That Changes Everything
Well, I declare, friend! Come right on up here and make yourself right to home. I’m sho’-nuff’ glad you came by because this ol’ front porch has been missin’ the kind of company that downright knows how to laugh, listen, and lean in close when the Lord has somethin’ plum worth sayin’. Pull up that ol’ rocker over yonder and git yourself settled in real good. And would you look at that! Right over there goes a proud lil’ ol’ Banty rooster struttin’ across the yard like it’s thinkin’ it’s gonna be bossin’ the whole critter kingdom around the barnyard. If that sight don’t git to warmin’ your spirit, it surely will be remindin’ you how the Lord sprinkles lil’ bits of His joy right into the everyday moments of our lives if we’ll just slow down long enough to git to noticin’ ‘em.
Today we are sittin’ with 1 Corinthians 13:13, which says, “And now these three remain. Faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” And Colossians 3:14 tells us, “Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.” Friend, that there’s God’s way of sayin, “Love is the thread that keeps the whole quilt from fallin apart.”
Now let’s gently shoo off that chatty lil’ ol’ goose that wandered up here lookin’ for company and git right to the heart of it. Paul tells us love is the greatest, and he ain’t bein’ poetic for poetry’s sake. Faith is plum powerful. Hope is real essential. But love is downright the only one of those that you can hand straight over to another person. You can’t git to forcin’ faith into someone else’s heart. You can’t git to manufacturin’ hope in their soul. That’s God’s territory. But love? Love is certainly somethin’ you can be givin’ away with your hands, your words, your time, your patience, and your kindness.
Jesus told His disciples in John 20:21, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” He wasn’t sendin’ ‘em out to be walkin’ encyclopedias or religious vending machines. He was sendin’ ‘em out to be carriers of His love. 1 John 4:11 reminds us, “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” God wants to use you as His go-between, connectin’ His heart to the hearts of folks around you. The love that flowed from the cross and was proven by the empty tomb is plum meant to flow right through you like a fresh creek runnin’ through a quiet holler.
You can’t give people faith. You can’t hand ‘em hope. But you can sho’-nuff’ love ‘em, and when you do that, you become the hands and feet of the One that loved ‘em first.
Father, teach me to love like You love. Help me see people the way You see them. Let Your kindness flow through my words, my actions, and my choices. Make me a vessel of Your love everywhere I go. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Alright now, friend, as you carry this message with you into the rest of your day, let God’s love be settlin’ deep down in your heart like a calm river settlin’ after a summer rain. You’ve gotta be lettin’ it be guidin’ you like a steady ol’ barn lantern glowin’ bright enough to show every good thing He has tucked along your path. And let kindness rise up in you like a fresh batch of buttermilk biscuits puffin’ up in a warm kitchen. And remember, when you choose to love, you’re holdin’ the one gift that never spoils, never shrinks, and never fails to be makin’ the world around you a whole lot brighter than it was a moment ago.
With joy,
Gwen
