{"id":9688,"date":"2024-01-31T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-31T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/?p=9688"},"modified":"2024-01-31T05:35:40","modified_gmt":"2024-01-31T10:35:40","slug":"9688","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/2024\/01\/31\/9688\/","title":{"rendered":"Universal Language"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

2 minute read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

 1 Corinthians 13:1 ESV<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Universal language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Love, the universal language that connects hearts around the world.\u00a0 An action that also requires doing.\u00a0 We show love towards others because of God, the foundation of love.\u00a0 Christ showed us love when He came to Earth, dying on the cross and rising again. \u00a0God created us to receive love and share it.\u00a0 Transformation begins when we realize we can do nothing to earn God\u2019s love but, by faith, receive it through Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul\u2019s letter to the Corinthians details the specifics of love, a new way to live thanks to Jesus.  In heaven, we will no longer need faith or hope; only love remains, a way of life for those in Christ.  As followers of Jesus, filled with His Spirit, we should live a life of love now, using it as a lens to view the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don\u2019t love, I\u2019m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.\u201d 1 Cor. 13:1 MSG<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Message version of the Bible, known as a reading Bible, helps us gain a deeper understanding of today\u2019s verse.  Living in a world of \u201cself\u201d-self-awareness, self-esteem, self-acceptance, self-image, and self-realization- putting God and others first before oneself goes against cultural norms.  Just like the envious, prideful, self-centered Corinthians during Paul\u2019s time on Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To love, we must do what Christ did.\u00a0 Paul explains to the Corinthians nothing matters more than love.\u00a0 Comparing actions done without love to a rusty gate, Paul spends the next several verses describing what Agape love looks like when lived out in our lives.\u00a0 Over the next thirteen days, we\u2019ll explore the aspects of love Christ showed us when He lived on Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Matthew, Jesus taught us to pray, \u201cOn Earth as it is in heaven\u201d (Matthew 6:10).  We do that when we live a life of love, imitating Christ.  Practicing what Jesus taught us will help us live the \u201cmore excellent way\u201d (1 Cor. 12:31b). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The way of love becomes a way of life when we follow Jesus daily, imitating Him.  Love in action happens when we live for the Lord and obey Him.  Love God and others, the Lord\u2019s greatest commandment that will lead us to a lifestyle of love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Love Challenge:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Go out of your way to show love to someone today.  Open the door for a stranger, do a chore for a family member, send a note to someone, or pay for the person\u2019s order behind you at the drive-thru.  Find a way to share the love Christ gave you actively.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

2 minute read. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  1 Corinthians 13:1 ESV Universal language. Love, the universal language that connects hearts around the world.\u00a0 An action that also requires doing.\u00a0 We show love towards others because… Continue reading Universal Language<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9688","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","without-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9688","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9688"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9688\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9783,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9688\/revisions\/9783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9688"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9688"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9688"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}