POINT TO PONDER:Life is all about love.
REFLECT: How did today's reading impact you?
Because God is love, the most important lesson He wants me to learn on earth is how to love. Think about that for a minute... How am I doing at learning life's most important lesson?
Of course, God wants us to love everyone, but He is particularly concerned that we learn to love others in His family. Why? Our love for each other is our greatest message to the world. He said: 
       "Your strong love for each other will prove to the world
   that you are my disciples" (John 13:35 - Living Bible)
In heaven we will enjoy God's family forever, but it is tough work here! As the poem goes:
"To live above, with saints we love-
Ah, that will be glory.
But to live below, with saints we know-
Now that's a different story!
The best use of my life is love. It should be my top priority, my primary objective, my greatest ambition. Relationships must have first place in my live, above all else. Why? God describes three reasons in His word:
  1. Life without love is really worthless (bankrupt - I Cor 13:3)
  2. Love will last forever - (I Cor 13:13)
  3. I will be evaluated by my love - (Matt 25:34-46, especially 40)
When our schedules become overloaded, we start skimming relationally, cutting back on giving the time, energy, and attention that loving relationships require. What's most important to God is displaced by what's urgent. Busyness is the enemy of relationships. We become preoccupied with making a living, doing our work, paying bills, and acomplishing goals as if these tasks are the point of life. They are not. The point of life is learning how to love-- God and people. Love means giving up- yielding my preferences, comfort, goals, security, money, energy, or time-- for the benefit of someone else.
If you want to know a person's priorities, just look at how they use their time. The most desired gift of love is T-I-M-E. 
       "My children, our love should not be just in words and talk; 
   it must be true love, which shoes itself in action." 
   (I John 3:18 - Today's English Version)
PRAYER:
"Gracious Father, my schedule is secondary to Your purpose. Whether I get anything else done today, I want to make sure that I spend time loving You and loving other people. Remind me that loving others is never a waste of my time. I know that's why I'm here, Amen
FOR MY CONSIDERATION:
    What urgent things are relationship robbers for me? What would someone observing my life today say that my priorities are?
This week's Memory verse: 
 	"... so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member 
	belongs to all the others."	  Romans 12:15 (NIV)
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