If I speak in human or angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give away all my possessions, and if I give over my body in order to boast but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs. Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will come to an end. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put aside childish things. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known. Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love—but the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13
February is known as the month of love and heart health, so, how is your heart health? Are you patient with others, especially your husband and children? Are you kind and use kind words? Or are you irritable and unwilling to forgive others? Loving others can be hard, but it is something that God commands us to do. John 15:12-13 says, “This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.” It is never too late to change how we love others. Now is a great time to be patient. Now is a great time to be kind. Now is a great time to forgive others.
Although we focus on love in February, let’s make sure our hearts are in the right condition all twelve months of the year. Let’s be prepared to love others at all times, no matter what that looks like. Don’t worry, you don’t need to make an appointment with a doctor to get your heart checked out for this. You have a standing appointment with God, the ultimate physician, each day. His word is better than any prescription. A dose of quiet time to prepare your heart each day, is just what the doctor ordered.
Resources
For families with preschoolers and school aged children:
Parents, as the Faith Builders in the home, you can start here: For a complete Bible story worship experience with your child, please go to ministrygrid.lifeway.com and create or log in to your free account. Then follow this link for this week’s lesson: Jonathan helped David.