This is the first in our new series on the fruit of the spirit and this week we look at Love and Faithfulness. You will need your instruments at the ready as What noise shall we make? is back! You also need a piece of fruit ready to use in our prayers. The colourings mentioned which I thought might not be ready until Sunday are here: Love & Faithfulness - so download, colour and begin your summer bunting decoration. Praying this summer you all get an abundant harvest of the fruit of the Spirit in your lives. Don't forget to read the Thankful Thought - posted below the video link xx Love Claire xx
Thankful Thought 18th June 2020 : Love & Faithfulness. 1 Corinthians 13 & Psalm 86 v 15
I was struck as I sat down to write this with the description given at the beginning of chapter 13 of a person who has not love – they are no more than a gong or clanging cymbal. “What noise shall we make to say that God is great!” was still ringing in my ears from recording Thankful Thursdays. What noise do love and faithfulness make in our lives to say that God is great? Was the question I was left with.
When I choose which bits of 1 Corinthians 13 to do with the children – I went for the things for which pulling a face or doing an action were easier. There are other things listed that are harder to express. Love does not keep a record of wrongs – for example. That is one way of describing forgiveness – a clean slate where our wrong doings should be listed. Love always trusts and always hopes – not easy as a face or action but vital to living life in all it’s fullness here on Earth.
I used marriage as an illustration of love and faithfulness in action. As many of you know I was briefly married to someone else before God united me with my precious John. One thing that experience taught me is that love and faithfulness are relational fruit. In a marriage one person can not do these things alone- both parties must love and be faithful. I found myself in a place where despite huge love and a desire to be faithful to another – that was not shared by the other party and hence that marriage ended. Our relationship with God is rather different, we know that His love and faithfulness as this passage says never ends or never fails. God will not walk out on us – we must ensure we do not walk away from Him.
The passage ends with saying now we see only dimly as if in a mirror but then we shall see face to face. (v 12). Perhaps that is also true of God’s love song to us – now we hear only distantly but then we will hear and join the songs of the Angels in praise – what a noise that will be to say that God is great!
God’s love song of his faithfulness to us – sings throughout scripture and throughout my experience of Jesus in my life – is it a song you can hear too? Sit in prayer this week and listen – let the Holy Spirit sing to you and show you God’s love and faithfulness in your life – that which has gone before and that which is yet to come.
Love and faithful blessings Claire xx