Love Never Fails (Love- Part 16 - really, it's over now)

"Love never fails:"

I Corinthians 13:8

A young man finally finished his graduate education and was ready to hit the architectural world running. Ever since he was a child, he was a builder.  He loved Legos and K'nex, and found mathematical concepts easy throughout his schooling.  He loved to study structures but especially unfinished ones - he would wander around the city looking for construction sites to stare at.  He found an entry level position at a well-knows architectural firm and began working his way up the corporate ladder until he finally became a senior designer.

So when he was given his first project to design and oversee, he was thrilled to find out it was a suspension bridge - his specialty! The city was looking to update a worn out bridge over a river that ran through the center of town with a modern, wired suspension bridge. And he loved every minute of it - from the design to the bidding to the construction - it was a dream come true.  He was leaving his mark on the city - he would drive his children to the bridge one day and tell them, Daddy built this!  

As the project was coming to an end, concerns arose over the safety of the structure.  It was, after all, a suspension bridge, and the city officials were uneasy that they had made the right decision.  After all, the designer had never overseen a project, start to finish and the bridge would be used by thousands every day.  The architect was contacted and the stability was questioned.

But the architect wasn't worried. He had done the math, he knew what load the bridge could hold, he knew it was stronger than it needed to be and that even in strong winds, the bridge was sound.  Simply stated, it would not fail.  

So the day before the bridge was to officially open, he brought the city officials out to the site.  He ordered 15 semi-trailors, loaded with concrete block and had them waiting to cross the bridge.  He was going to put the suspension to test, but the test wasn't for his benefit - it was for the benefit of the city officials.  One by one the trucks started crossing the bridge, until at one point, the entire bridge was filled with semi-trucks, and guess what?  Just as the architect had known, the bridge easily held the weight and the fears of the city officials were put to rest.  They officially declared the bridge to be safe and opened it to the public.

Long story, short explanation - at the end of the recipe for love, a three word declaration is made:  Love never fails.  The construction of the recipe for love, if followed correctly, is as reliable and dependable as the construction of a suspension bridge that is mathematically sound.  The bridge cannot and will not fail because it is designed with strength.  In the same manner, the love that God has described in I Corinthians 13 is designed to be fail-proof.

Worldly love and godly love are two very different things.  The recipe for worldly love is something like this:  take some warm fuzzies and add emotions, candle light and soft music, a field of flowers to run through and a bit of danger, plus it would help if there was hair to blow in the wind, but it's not required.  Mix together and eat immediately because it gets old quickly and you have to throw the pot away when you're done and get a new pot to mix your love in to get the same effect again.

Godly love looks like this:  a CHOICE to be patient, kind, humble, patient, selfless, self-controlled, holy, protective, trusting, hopeful and faithful.  If any one of these ingredients weakens, the other ones step up and fill in the gaps so that love has no choice but to succeed - it never fails.

I think you get the picture.  

Love is not a feeling but a choice and given the immense example Jesus Christ has laid before us, plus the sacrificial love of the Father to give us His Son, plus the power of the Holy Spirit given to us to enable us to love like Christ, how can love fail?  

Your reduction sauce is ready - it's time to serve it up. There's plenty of it and you are instructed to be liberal in serving this tasty delight.  It should flow from of your words, your facial expressions, your actions, your thoughts, your emotions and your intentions.  It's a high calling but you have an infinite resource to draw from, so get going - make the choice to love your neighbor, family, enemies and friends in the same way Christ has loved you.

And then see what happens...