A Successful Mom Is Genuinely Loving

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gang or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing."  I Corinthians 13:1-3

What is the definition of love?  Many people have tried to define it, but upon reading I Corinthians 13, Paul tells us what love is and what it is not.  It is not rude, envious, boastful, arrogant, selfish, easily irritable, resentful, does not rejoice in wrong doing.  Love is patient, kind,  and rejoices with the truth.  It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, and it never ends.  True love is from God and is genuine.  Love acts in self sacrifice.  Love is totally giving of myself to meet the needs of the other person without expecting anything in return.

Moms, do you genuinely love those children that God has placed in your life?  How about your husband?  Is what you do motivated out of a heart of genuine love or self praise.  Do you clean your house so that others will say, "Wow, she has a clean house and she has it all together."  Do you teach your children at home so that others will praise you for doing a good job?  Do you chose to be quiver full so that others will look at you and say, "she must be a godly woman because she is choosing to obey scripture."?  Do you submit to your husband so that others will look at you and want to follow your good example?  Do you read your Bible, pray, and memorize scripture because it is your christian duty and you want others to think that you are a godly mom?

All of these are good and godly things to be doing, but we must examine our motives behind the things that we do.  Do we do all of these things mentioned above because it is our job as mothers?  Are we doing them out of genuine love?  If not, then we are noisy, clanging symbols that amount to no good.  Today as we go about our day, let us hold one another accountable.  Let us pray for one another and encourage one another because without love our life is meaningless.  Let's check in on each other and encourage each other as the scriptures teach us to follow in godliness and to do everything we do in genuine love which comes from God alone.  Let us ask Him for help today to love our families and to have much joy in the sometimes mundane tasks of life.

Love will mourn over sin.  Love will speak well of others around us.  Love will be willing to absorb the wrongs done around us with out wanting to get even.  Love will be willing to give of yourself to your husband even when you are tired.  Love will build each other up.  Love will yield certain behaviors if it causes others to fall into sin.  Love will seek the best interest of others.  Do you have a child who easily irritates you?  Genuinely love him today!  Ask God to give you the grace to do be filled with genuine love.

If we can speak great truths to others around us, teach home school with eloquence, teach other ladies with out love it is a noisy symbol.  There were two prophets in scripture who were sent to proclaim God's Word who are a great example of teaching in love and teaching without love, Jonah and Jeremiah.  Jeremiah had genuine love.  Jonah did not really love the people.  He was just doing duty.  Amy Carmichael said that you can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.  Love involves much sacrifice.  What motivates this sacrifice that you make daily?  Is it genuine love?  Love is not only the act, but the heart of the matter.  If I do good to others around me, with out love, it profits me nothing. No matter what "good" we do, if it is not done in love, it profits us nothing.  Follow God in love.  Ask Him to give you the grace necessary to genuinely love today without expecting anything in return.