He believed in his wife but knew it was time for her to act on her weight lose instead of just talking about it.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Reference:  v.1  If I speak in the tongues of humans and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. (NIV Bible)

Explore:  The other day I turned on my radio to hear a small section of an interview.  I don't know who the person was, where they were from or why they were being interviewed but I heard a small portion of their story.  The lady had struggled with losing weight and after having a particularly significant moment with God she had decided she was finally going to lose the kilos.  She told her husband this amazing news and got this poignant response, "First do, then talk."  I thought this would have been perceived as a fairly harsh comment but from the husband's point of view he had seen many diets come and go.  He believed in his wife but knew it was time for her to act on her weight lose instead of just talking about it.  While this comment was quite blunt, I quite liked it. It tells us to prove ourselves through our actions first.  I think it can be used in all areas of our lives, especially the area that the Apostle Paul talks about when he speaks of love.

Application:  Love is a very common theme in our lives.  Whether we are watching TV, talking about our hobbies or involved in personal relationships this idea of love is being addressed.  However it is easy for us to talk about it, discuss it, evaluate it and refer to it, but unless we truly act out our love then we have gained nothing.  When it comes to true love I think we have to 'first do, then talk.'  We need to show love to our family, our friends, our neighbours, our colleagues and even the strangers that we meet.  The more we learn to love the more understanding we have of our God who is love.  It's a lot easier to just talk about it, but so much more beneficial to act on it.

Prayer:  Lord, no one can out-do Your love.  You act out Your love for us every single day.  Thank You for that love.  May we act out Your love to those in our lives today.  Amen.

In verses 4-7 we hear a description of love.  Which actions come easiest to you?  Which ones seem to be a struggle?