the Love of God continued ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

The love of God is deep; it often moves behind the scenes. The most beautiful thing about it is that it knows exactly where to make its mark whether it is appreciated or not. When the love of God is active, it gets the task at hand done. It lifts people out of the mundane rut track and sets them above the fray. Love energizes believing. It helps people to do wonderful things when it is the motivation behind the utilization of God's spiritual tools, the nine manifestations.

Starting in verse 4 of I Corinthians 13, God lists the characteristics of His love. Because of its location between chapters 12 and 14, chapter 13 is very significant. It stands right between the scriptures that describe our spiritual abilities and the scriptures that describe those abilities in operation when people are gathered together. The love of God is central to all we do.

4Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

Think about why the love of God is patient and kind? The effects produced sometimes take time, but they are are enduring. There are times when God is working with us step by step and maybe we can't see the forest for the trees, but in the end it is plainly visible how he loves us and has been cheering for us. It the same when we love others with His love. God may show us how to bless someone with the right word or action and their immediate reaction might not be what we expected. They may never see the depth of that kind of love. It doesn't matter. Our action may be part of a long string of events that eventually produces the fruit. It is God who notices what you do and lifts you up. His promotion involves providing more unimaginable opportunities for you to take care of things for Him. The more you spiritually mature, the bigger the job.

In Acts 9, there is a great example of a man walking in love and believing for God. Ananias was called upon to minister to Saul/Paul. The scripture calls Ananias a 'certain disciple'. Was he a minister? Yes! Did he have a gift ministry(Ephesians 4:11-12)?  It doesn't say. That was between him and God. What is evident in his life is the love that craves to see God's intent come to pass. That love is not human love. The intent is the ultimate motive behind it all.

Things don't happen over night, that is why patience is an attribute of God's love. The proper use of the nine manifestations to genuinely help requires that settled enduring strength on the inside. God doesn't push and shove, he is deliberate and right on. It is worth waiting for and it yields magnificent fruit. The church epistles are evidence of that.