According to 1^st Corinthians 13, spiritual gifts without love add up to a big fat zero.  Any act of “sacrifice” without love as its prime motivator is to be viewed with suspicion.  Love will outlast all these things and will endure forever.  So what should be our attitude toward love?  The apostle Paul tells us.

Pursue Love

Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.  1^st Corinthians 14:1

The word pursue means to eagerly seek after something in order to acquire it. It also means to chase.  The picture that comes to mind when I think of this word is a child chasing a balloon that has slipped from it’s grasp.  With hands extended and legs running as fast as possible, they are determined to recapture the balloon.  I think this picture is something similar to what Paul had in mind when exhorting us to pursue love.

Pointers on the Pursuit

Here are a few pointers on pursuing love.

• It starts with our attitude.  We can no longer consider love to be an option.  Unless we consider it to be absolutely essential, we will never pursue love as diligently as we should.

• We need to pray and ask the Lord to increase our desire for love.  We should also ask Him to make His love the primary posture of our hearts.

• Something else that would be helpful is to read 1^st Corinthians 13 on a regular basis.  A slow and reflective reading of this chapter would remind us of the importance of love, as well as what love looks like from the Lord’s perspective.

• Finally, love!  Love is an intentional exercise, so let’s look for opportunities and start loving people.  Let’s not wait until we feel like it.  Otherwise it will never happen.  If we start loving on purpose, it will eventually become a natural part of our lives.

Start Today

Let’s not wait another minute.  Starting today let’s start pursuing love with an ardent determination.  Remember, love is one of the outstanding characteristics of those who are truly living in the Reign.

M

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.