Love (Part 1)

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 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 never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.

 Right there, you see God tell us almost directly what love actually is. I feel like (depending where you grow up of course) the word love doesn't always quite mean that. We tend to over-use the word love. But not just that, we say we love our friends or family etc. but than you read this verse. I question, do I actually love them this way? The way God told us too? You can also take this in an encouraging way, because we know that God loves us, and that this is how He loves us.

 John 3:16 “For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Another amazing example of love! The greatest one of all in my opinion. I am young and I don't have any kids obviously, but if you do, try to imagine! Having your only child go and die so other's can live, knowing that so many people will not want the free gift. I don't know if I could love like that, God loves us so much.

Quick Look

Okay, so I will give some examples I have gotten from some people's reactions to when I told them about my faith, about God, the Bible, etc. Well I just was studying Castellano with a teacher from the school and I asked if I could read my Spanish Bible outloud for practice on pronunciation. I secretly wanted her to hear a few Bible verses. When I pulled out my Bible her first reaction was terror! She said something about hating religious stuff, but if it meant practice for me she would listen. Oh wait, let me tell you how much she was laughing, I don't think she was expecting me to pull out my Bible and read it to her. There were other people in the room and they stopped and listened. So I read all of Romans 8 in Spanish and after a few sentences she became very quiet and didn't correct me on anyting. She interrupted me and asked me if I believed in it and I answered yes. She just laughed and laughed at me and then compared the Bible to a little children's book I was reading about fairies. We then started talking about what happens after you die and she said you just die and nothing happens. I told how sad that was and she didn't understand. But the thing I have really learned, is that you need the Holy Spirit to ACTUALLY understand the Bible. I told her that I have it in me so I understand it. She said she had it too but then I said that she didn't understand. She said all of the Bible was made up and that all the help I recieve from "God" was just my mind. Again, she continued to laugh at me the whole time. There were some other things I told her, but that is close to a normal reaction from somewhere here. Sometime's I get yelled at, or a lecture on how it isn't true or insults. Even people I am generally closer to here told me - after I told them that I read my Bible every night - that I needed help, or that I was crazy or insane and there was something wrong with me. The whole time I just sit there and think "you have no idea!". Europe is definately a mission field, there is no such thing as God to them and most of the people my age have been raised being told that. No one seems to have a spiritual connection and no one cares that they don't. People just keep asking me, "you actually believe the Bible?" As far as I know God will never be a liar. The worst part is they insult the Bible and God and they don't know anything about God and haven't ever picked up a Bible. The teacher I talked with kept calling it all made up and a fairytale, but then I asked her if she has ever even read the Bible and she said no. Most people here seem to blame their disbelief on not being able to believe in things they can't see. But even I know there is something much deeper than that. Some atheists I have met would even ask me to pray for them if they were going through a problem. Deep inside everyone, there seems to be some form of a spiritual knowledge. You can keep denying God but there is a point where you are never sure, right? When I read the penalty of sin is death, her eyes just popped open. She was really distraught after and I know even though she denied God deep down there was something. Sorry this ended up being way longer, but there is so much more. Even my host family has told me that I can't be "this into it" and it "could lead to trouble" and I just don't understand! But, whenever I talk with an atheist, I always say at the end, well one day you and I will both see, but at least I don't have to worry about that day. Oh, they definately continue to laugh, but isn't that something Jesus said would happen? I am pretty content with laughter, it is much better than some of the things that could happen to me.

Courage

Deuteronomy 31:6 "Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you." What is your definition of courage? Living in Barcelona (Catalunya area of Spain) is difficult. I bring up the word prayer and I get a 15 minute lecture about how that person respects my "religion" and how they just "aren't prayers". The whole time I am just thinking "if you only knew!" I try my hardest but sometime's I really need the courage to bring up God. Especially here. I told someone that I read my Bible every night and they said that I need help, something was wrong with me, and that I had a problem. So now, it takes courage to bring up Jesus because how many strange looks, and sometimes mean comments I recieve. I would take this any day over some of the persecution in some countries where if you even own a Bible you can get thrown in jail or worse. But, in full perpesctive, you need the Holy Spirit to have the courage to talk to others about Jesus. If you ever feel a pull to do something or say something, a good pull, do it. That would be the Holy Spirit working in you!