A Life of Love

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. 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

Events in life often intertwine, connecting different situations in most interesting ways. Recently, two different events brought me to 1 Corninthians 13, the first was writing verses 4-7 on small signs for my daughter's wedding, and the second was preparing for Bible Study which lead me to read a sermon on Heaven by Jonathan Edwards where he begins with verses 8-10. Although the former verses were very familiar to me, the later verses held something I'd never considered before. 

Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 1 Corinthians 13:8-10

Edwards in his sermon "Heaven, a World of Love" richly sermonizes a life of love. Focusing on "when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away" he shows us the great difference there is with imperfect love on earth and how glorious and wonderful perfect love will be in Heaven. Here is how Edwards concludes his sermon:

 "See that you live a life of love — of love to God, and love to men. All of us hope to have part in the world of love hereafter, and therefore we should cherish the spirit of love, and live a life of holy love here on earth. This is the way to be like the inhabitants of heaven, who are now confirmed in love forever. Only in this way can you be like them in excellence and loveliness, and like them, too, in happiness, and rest, and joy. By living in love in this world you may be like them, too, in sweet and holy peace, and thus have, on earth, the foretastes of heavenly pleasures and delights. Thus, also, you may have a sense of the glory of heavenly things, as of God, and Christ, and holiness; and your heart be disposed and opened by holy love to God, and by the spirit of peace and love to men, to a sense of the excellence and sweetness of all that is to be found in heaven. Thus shall the windows of heaven be as it were opened, so that its glorious light shall shine in upon your soul. Thus you may have the evidence of your fitness for that blessed world, and that you are actually on the way to its possession. And being thus made meet, through grace, for the inheritance of the saints in light, when a few more days shall have passed away, you shall be with them in their blessedness forever. Happy, thrice happy those, who shall thus be found faithful to the end, and then shall be welcomed to the joy of their Lord! There “they shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and lead them to living fountains of waters, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”

The entire sermon is here: http://www.biblebb.com/files/edwards/charity16.htm 

May you be encouraged and blessed as you consider the significance of a life of Love.