Hello, and welcome to Enbolden, living a bold Christian life. I'm Chris Shetter, an ordinary Christian, living with and learning about an extraordinary God. Thank you for joining me on spending 30 days of praising God. Let's start today's podcast off with this famous verse from 1 Corinthians 13, 4 through 7.
Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it's not proud, it does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth, it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. I don't think I'd be too off the mark in surmising that so much of human bad behaviour stems from a need to be loved. We seek fame and fortune to be noticed, to be loved.
We have affairs to feel needed and loved. We engage in all sorts of sexual immorality and seeking loves, bliss. We get petty and petulant because we feel slighted or unloved. We gossip to draw others into our inner circle to feel important and adored.
When we feel lacking and being loved or even loving ourselves, the doors open for the devil to whisper his sweet nothings to us. It's love we so desperately seek in so many ways from the wrong sources. But praise God that really he first created love. I mean, how could he not?
The earth, sun, oceans, and the garden were a thing of overwhelming beauty created for man to enjoy. A gift like that can only be made out of love. God is himself love. He gives himself freely to us, even when we reject him.
He waits patiently in this time of grace for us to turn our eyes to him. You know, there's no magic formula or check to write for this sort of true love. Even when we are acting out in our most sinful ways, he gives us yet another opportunity to let him love us. Yes, you heard that.
Let him love us. Too many of us push God away, possibly out of shame or guilt or that feeling of worthlessness. I myself have stood harshly judging my own reflection. I have struggled accepting God's love.
My past can sit like a demon shadow in front of me, pulling me into that darkness. But you know, more often lately, I'm looking at the face in the mirror and asking God to help me love myself as much as I now know he loves me. Hebrews 13 5 says, keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have because God has said, never will I leave you, never will I forsake you. My greatest hope for my daughters is that they won't take as long as I have to look in the mirror and know how well they are loved by God.
He will never leave them. He won't gossip about them or betray them. He won't judge them harshly. He will love their fresh young faces the same as he will love their old wrinkly ones.
Love is an emotion that has drawn thousands and thousands of poets and scribes to write and try to describe. It's not a simple thing. It seems bigger than all the other feelings we have at our human disposal. It's complicated and it's beautiful, just like God.
Have a wonderful day. I'd love to hear from you and find out more about how you are living out your bold Christian life. You can find me on Instagram at embolden-the-o or at my blog at embolden.net.