Day 3
Love is
not self seeking…
1 Corinthians 13:5
“It (love) is not self-seeking.”
Who can argue that, of
all the examples of unconditional love, one of the best is that of the love a
mother has for her infant child? When
this relationship hasn’t been tainted by some disease process, you see a woman
who will go to extreme lengths to care for and nurture her baby. Suffering sleep deprivation, being on-call
24/7, isolated from the world of adults and the social interactions which feed
the ego and stave off boredom, she knows that her needs come second (or third
of fourth) to her child’s needs.
We already learned that
Love is not an emotion or an action, but a person. “God is Love.” “For God so loved the world that he
gave…”
In Philippians 2, Paul instructs us
to be more like Jesus.
“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united
with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above
yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each
of you to the interests of the others.
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same
mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
I maintain that this type of sacrificial
love is impossible without the indwelling of the Holy
Spirit. Thank God that He lives in
us! We CAN live out the love that comes
with His indwelling. Remember: Colossians
1:27 “…the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of
glory.”
Questions for Reflection
How does the mother and infant child help us
understand the statement “love is not self-seeking?
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Since love is
not an emotion or an action, but a Person – God
is love (1 John 4:8), what is the most important part of growing a selfless
love?
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What are some
steps I could take to make sure I am growing in my relationship with God?
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How does the
Philippians 2 passages quoted in the devotional help you understand love is not self seeking?
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Prayer: Reflecting specifically on this
devotional, write out a prayer to God. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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