Brothers and sisters,
Happy Monday to all! Yesterday, we worshipped our great God and realized we can rejoice because He alone rules the universe. Then we looked at one of the most familiar passages of Scripture, 1 Corinthians 13, which describes to us what truly godly love is and how it operates among the people of God. 1 Corinthians 13 was specifically written to a troubled church where individualism had wrongly become supreme. That chapter points us to the antidote to that selfishness by helping us see the true nature of love. Living lives of glorifying God and helping build the church means we are motivated by love for God and others. 1 Corinthians 13 helps us see we need to focus on the necessity and first importance of godly love. Then it helped us to understand the true character of love, that love is what you do and do not do. “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” Love is more than some feeling or emotion. Love is something you do. Finally, we saw from 1 Corinthians 13 that love is permanent. Love endures forever into eternity! In churches where people have great talents, abilities, and spiritual gift we see this forever truth: Exercising talents, abilities, and spiritual gifts mean nothing if those things are not exercised with godly love.
We will hold our annual “Trunk or Treat” for our neighborhood on October 26 from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM. We will need lots of candy and lots of help to reach out to our neighborhood on that day.
Remember to keep praying continually for each other. None of us know fully the burdens our brothers and sisters in Christ might be carrying.
Love being your pastor!
Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church