Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable; it keeps no record of wrongs; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

[Excerpted from “Love That Gives Itself Away,” by Geoffrey Spencer, November 1984 Herald]

I suppose if we were more honest, we would admit that Paul’s affirmations about love in 1 Corinthians 13 are easier to quote than to practice. Indeed, we might admit they are difficult to believe, let alone put into practice. It is very easy to persuade ourselves that there are, in fact, substitutes for the practice of love: great giftedness, knowledge, generosity, unbounded faith, even the readiness to sacrifice itself. Perhaps, we might say to ourselves, Paul has let his enthusiasm get out of hand when he asserts that without love we are nothing. Nonetheless, our experience confirms the truth.

The power of love is the very lifeblood of the church and the bonding agent of all creative human relationships. Time and time again we witness and participate in lived-out evidence of the astonishing power of love to restore and re-create. This is true whether we are speaking of our personal relationships, the life of congregations, or the life and spirit of the church as a whole. Just as forcibly we have witnessed the tragic and disastrous results that flow from the failure to exercise the disciplines of love.

Perhaps it may seem strange, or inappropriate, to refer to the “disciplines” of love. Love is often thought of as a feeling or an emotion over which we have little or no control. To speak of love in terms of conscious decision and discipline seems to take away from its genuineness or its spontaneity. Certainly, there are many relationships in life that prompt feelings of affection, warmth, or desire. We speak of loving our families, children, friends, country, church. Yet I believe the essence of Christian love goes beyond feeling or emotion.

In his book, The Road Less Traveled, M. Scott Peck has defined love as “the will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s spiritual growth.” This suggests that love arises from a conscious decision to live one’s life in a certain way and to persist in the disciplines which make that way of life possible. According to Peck, love is more than a feeling or emotion, because it involves deliberate decisions carried forward into action. Love is an act of will—namely, both an intention and an action. Will also implies choice.

It is helpful for me to think of love in these terms: as a willed, intentional course of action directed toward my own growth and the growth of others. It reminds me that I make decisions to love or not to love—that I am in control of my loving behavior. Similarly, congregations are in charge of their decisions to be loving. Circumstances or conditions may present barriers to the carrying out of their decisions, but the basic decisions to love or not to love lie in the hands of the Saints. When love is cultivated as an intentional and disciplined response, it can be shared. In fact, such love is nurtured and refined with the express intention of being given away. The power of the gospel and the presence of the Holy Spirit are evident in the countless situations in which such love is being shared.

Prayer Phrase

“We love because God first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

Sea of Light

Quiet and center yourself. Ask for God’s healing and guidance as you enter this time of prayerful presence. Close your eyes, breathing deeply and calmly. Imagine that you are floating in a beautiful sea of light that rises and falls with each cycle of your breath. The golden light of this sea buoys you up, so you float effortlessly. Waves of light carry and wash over you, bringing wholeness and peace. Rest in the sea of God’s love, then offer a prayer of gratitude.

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.