By Katy Mariotti

Love First

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”
1 Corinthians 13:1 English Standard Version

As most pet owners I know do, sometimes we speak for our animals, pretending to know what they’re thinking. It’s very entertaining! The other day I was looking at our cat and wondering if I’d ever really know what she was thinking. The first thought that popped in my head was that maybe someday in Heaven I would.

I’ve had a couple of family members pass away recently, so Heaven has been on my mind. So when I thought about learning the thoughts of my cat, I pictured entering Heaven. Would I immediately want to know the secrets of the universe? I don’t think I would. The first thing I picture when I enter Heaven is the joy of seeing my loved ones again, and the love I would feel surrounding us: God’s love. While I may have questions later, if asking questions is something I get to do in Heaven, the first thing on my mind is love.

The Bible, of course, is filled with messages of love. 1 Corinthians 13, frequently used in weddings, is full of them. I love this first verse because it reminds us that if we don’t lead with love, our messages will not come across as we think they do. When I was teaching, we used to be told that if we didn’t have positive relationships with our students, they would have a much harder time learning. This can transfer to so many areas of our lives.

My prayer for us today, in a world filled with violence and hate, is that we can remember that we have a God who loves us, and sent His only Son to die for us that we may have eternal life with Him. Let’s remember to lead with love.

“And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.'”
Matthew 22:37-40 ESV

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