The greatest of these...

So the title of this blog, not this entry but the entire blog is "Iussu Amo", or in English "At the Command of Love" Why? I believe that as a christian we should live patiently, kindly, protectfully, trusting, hopeful, perseveringly.


"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophesy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but do not have love, I gain nothing.


Love is PATIENT, Love is KIND. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is SLOW TO ANGER, and keeps NO RECORD of WRONGS. Love does not delight in evil but REJOICES with the TRUTH. It ALWAYS PROTECTS, ALWAYS TRUSTS, ALWAYS HOPES, ALWAYS PERSEVERES.


Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there re tongues, we know they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I m fully known.


And these three remain, faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is LOVE


So we know that we should love our neighbor as ourself, and love our enemies. But that can be really really hard sometimes, and what is one way to help remember that we should. Living as a Christian in Chico, Ca, can be really difficult at times with the parties night in and night out, and the less than quality behavior of of neighbors. It invites second guessing their choices and it also invites judging them as humans, so what is at least one way to not do that. An effective thing I have learned to apply in my life, is to repeat over and over either outloud, under my breath, or in my head, what love is.

"Love is patient, Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is slow to anger, and keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

I've done this on multiple occasions at work when someone isn't performing as well as I'd like them to. It also helps me when I get frustrated with my closest friends, as to neighbors, they're partiers most of the time, which I'm becoming more and more okay with, but it helps at 3 am just to go over what love is. You may get frustrated, but it'll help to remember that God is love, and if we don't have love we have nothing.

So rejoice in faith, in hope, in kindness, in patience, in love. Leave anger, self-seeking, rudeness, and lists of wrongs behind you.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love {1st Corinthians 13:13}