Series: Love Glue
Message: Sticky Recipe: Making Something That Lasts
Preacher: Japhet De Oliveira
Reflection: Mike Speegle
Live Wonder: Zan Long
Live Adventure: Zan Long
Live Beyond: Brandon Kharns
Live Purpose: Vanessa Rivera
Editor: Becky De Oliveira
Refresh: Begin with prayer. Ask for the Holy Spirit to open your heart to new understanding and for God’s character to be revealed.
Read: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 in the New Testament for Everyone (NTE). Note 1–3 insights or questions.
Reflect: Have you ever had the tough job of trying to help your 13-year-old daughter get over the heartache of her first heartbreak? You know that there will most likely be many more breakups, that this was just “puppy love,” that soon another guy will come along . . . but you can’t say any of that. (You can think it, just please don’t say it.)
What she lacks in the moment is perspective. Perspective only comes through time, trials, and challenges. She will get there, just not right now. Right now she just needs to know that you love her, care for her, and are there for her. You can communicate this without using very many words.
Buried toward the end of 1 Corinthians 13 are a couple of sentences that seem at first glance to be throwaway lines about being a child and then growing up. But interpreting them that way would be a mistake.
Hidden in these words is an incredible truth that is true for each of us: we all have childish ways that we need to leave behind when it comes to how we think about, experience, and give love.
Maybe growing up you thought that the way to get a girl to be attracted to you was to be irritating. Maybe you thought the way to let a boy know you liked him was by giving a note to your best friend to give to his best friend to ask him if he liked you.
Maybe we picked up the idea somewhere that love means never having to say you’re sorry. That love means people only say good and positive things to you, always do things the way you want them done, and never upset you.
A mature adult knows that they don’t know everything and don’t have everything figured out. They know things aren’t always black and white, that they are complicated and multifaceted, that they can’t always be solved in under 60 minutes like on our favorite television program.
Knowledge is certainly power, but knowledge by itself isn’t enough. Loving is hard. And yet it’s what we need the most. We need to experience it personally—to accept it and to give it.
That takes time. That takes perspective. That takes a willingness to let go of some stuff that was meaningful and helpful during childhood but may not be so helpful today.
Recalibrate: If love is the best way, why is it so hard to live it consistently? How has my upbringing—my childhood experiences—helped or hindered the living out of love?
Respond: Maybe it is time to leave behind the childish things that were good but aren’t the best for life as an adult. That’s a choice we all have to make in order to mature and grow.
Research: Here are some great questions to consider before getting married.
Remember: “Love is patient and kind” (1 Corinthians 13:4, ICB).
Mike Speegle is the lead pastor for New Hope, an exciting, young, multi-ethnic Adventist Church in Fulton, Maryland. Mike became a follower of Jesus and an Adventist in his early 20s. Pacific Union College was the first Adventist school he ever attended; he met his wife Lorie there. Mike has pastored for 30+ years, served in the Ministerial Association of the General Conference, and has written a book, Big Questions, as well as a number of articles.
Check this video out with your little one. Take time to do what we did on Sunday. Find a quiet place with your little one and sit in a comfy chair or on the floor. Read their favorite book or watch the video. Take the time to feel your child breathe in and out. Use this time to breathe deeply yourself. Put your child’s hand on your chest so they can feel your chest rise and fall with every breath. Just like a slow breath fills our body with life-giving oxygen, patience grounded in love fills our moments with life-changing kindness.” Love is patient and kind” (1 Corinthians 13:4).
God’s love for us has never changed. He has loved us from the very beginning and will love us forever. Watch this video and then this one and see how love brings us together.
So, has this week helped you get to know God any better? Has it helped you overcome some of the barriers that keep you from growing spiritually? Maybe it has helped you repair some friendships or make new ones. I sure hope so. Now that you are a pro, you might want to keep this going every once in a while. Who knows, maybe we will revisit it at some point. You are stuck with me for the next three weeks. Hey, where are you going?
Today, think about someone you can tell about this week’s experiment if you haven’t already. Maybe you have friends from church whom you trust who have also been studying this Daily Walk. Maybe there is a teacher or family member you could confide in. Maybe you could talk about it with your Fortnite friends. Too far? Worth a try!
What have you grasped about love so far? Like I told you on Sunday, we are on this journey of understanding love together. You know what I’ve grasped? Love is hard. It’s hard to be nice all the time. It’s hard to be good to others all the time. It’s much easier to just focus on our own needs. But look, God can help us. He is love. The closer we get to understanding Him, the easier it will be to love others on a daily basis. Take time to reflect on your weakness. What do you struggle with? Maybe now you’ll be a little more understanding when others struggle around you. Maybe it’ll be easier to forgive. I’d encourage to make a choice to continue learning throughout this series on how to love on others more.
Zan Long is GRC director for faith development groups. She lives in Sydney, Australia, and serves at her local church in nearby Kellyville.
Brandon Kharns is the family life pastor at Placerville Seventh-day Adventist church in the Sierra Nevada foothills of California near Lake Tahoe.
Vanessa Rivera is a therapist in a community mental health center in Denver, CO, and serves as the lead elder for Live Purpose at Boulder Church.