One of the ways to describe my brother after he just gave his life to Christ is “annoying”!
Lol.
I don’t know, but he mega used to get on my nerves!
I would invite him for Wednesday service and he would be dragging his feet.
There was even a day I invited him to go to Church after work, I was kind of broke and didn’t have a lot so I stayed home… and I thought I was doing good.
Ehen, that was the period I wasn’t fine, I had malaria and was terribly weak.
But remembered my brother and told him to go to Church, only for this guy to turn around and start saying stuff that had me going like “ah”!
He said he didn’t have enough and I was trying to share with him on trusting God for finances..
Next thing was ‘you sef, only Church you will be doing, you can’t even cook for me to take to work…”
I went mad.
I specifically remember times when I would go to the market at night just to cook for weekends but none of that counts?
And see someone I spend time praying for his salvation, etc, turning back on me to say I wasn’t helping?
Whose life would be the better for it?
I felt terribly bad.
I was going to Church (a Church I go to that’s close to my house when I can’t afford to go to my far Church) and I was so pained.
I told God “see someone I labour for in prayers, that my heart breaks for.. see the reward I get…”
I was really sad, more so because God told me to keep quiet and not respond to him.
So I went to Church mad.
Sat there listening but was angry.
And all of a sudden, I heard:
“LOVE NEVER FAILS”.
And from that moment on I heard nothing else in that service.
That was months ago but even as I prepared to write this post in the morning, I tried to think back to the message that day but still could not remember anything.
Only words I could grasp from that day till today was “LOVE NEVER FAILS” (1 Corinthians 13:8)
God just began to work on my heart that night.
He began to explain to me that every other thing may fail but in this instant, if I show my brother love – the God kind of love, it will never fail.
And so I went home that night, I think I was still feeling sick and it was worse.
He later said he didn’t know I was sick, but he showed no concern for me at all. We had a mini argument again but then the next morning, still God said I should give him some cash from cash I didn’t have to spare.
Talk about further lessons on love.
And there was no “I am sorry oh”, Â it was only later that the “I’m sorry” I wanted was given to me.
But then I saw/still see the fruits of allowing God to work on my heart.
My brother’s growth spiritually is one that awes me when I think about it.
Probably my acting in any other way outside of love would have been a stumbling block on his path.
God took me through being able to love, either by keeping quiet and saying nothing, or by giving, or by continual prayers even when I wanted to give up.
Again, it wasn’t easy but we are all reaping the fruits.
This guy is so sold out to God and God’s love as a message too, it’s a miracle!
What if I had gotten mad at someone who was just still finding his way in God?
Remember how those early days of being a Christian is?
The struggle between flesh and Spirit and learning new things?
What he needed was understanding, patience and love.. not me getting mad at him and God knew all that.
Thank God for His Spirit.
Lesson?
LOVE NEVER FAILS!
Didn’t He tell us that love never fails?
That’s because it is true…Love doesn’t fail!
As I wrote just now, I imagined Jesus’s love for us too.. leading Him unto the cross as a sheep to be slaughtered, and it seemed like it was the foolish thing to do.
But guess who won out at the end?
LOVE.
GOD.
This Christmas and always, as you go home and encounter annoying family members, relatives, etc.. some even as unbelievers, you may be tempted to lose your cool…but remember LOVE NEVER FAILS.
Just as those words gripped my heart months ago and led me to walk the hard path of love, I hope it grips yours too.
Even if it seems like you are a fool, remember Jesus seemed like a fool then too but guess who won the battle?
LOVE.
You will win the battle for Jesus in your family, in your workplace, your business environment, your marriage… if you will only tow love’s way.
It is not easy but this is why we are thankful for the Spirit.
“…because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”
-Romans 5:5
Only by the Spirit can we walk in love.
Only in Him can the hard love deals that pain the flesh be easy for us to do.
So we pray:
Spirit of love, fill our hearts with God’s love in this season.
Fill us up with your love. Constrain us to walk in the Spirit and walk in love.
May we show you to our families and wherever we find ourselves in this season and beyond in Jesus name, amen.
I expect tests on love after this post.
*Rolls eyes*
It almost always happens after I write on anything I am struggling with or character traits like these.
Oh well. Its all good. We need to exercise our love muscles 🙂
Till our next Online Bible Study (maybe next year?)
Love,
Frances
PS: Compliments of the season guys!
If you are a lady interested in walking more in the fruits of the Spirit like Love, peace, patience, etc.
Pre-order “The Women At The Well” first book that will be out in February 2017 HERE
The book includes a study on “The Character of  Godly woman” with dealings on Character traits including LOVE.
It also includes studies on:
-Marriage God’s way
-Becoming God’s own kind of woman
-The list for a future husband
Pre-order your copy by mailing 4thewomenatthewell@gmail.com
2 Comments
Bisola
December 21, 2016 at 11:27 pmNice story. Thanks for sharing. Unthinking words from family have a certain deep cut to it. It hurts.
It’s an amazing feeling when a loved one becomes saved. Amazing.
Frances Okoro
December 22, 2016 at 12:47 pmIt does hurt, thats why we need the anesthetic from God’s love so we don’t feel it.
Lol.
And most times those words are as you said “unthinking”, not intended to hurt but if we hold them in defective ways, we can miss out on what good our rewponse can bring.
His salvation is one of my (our) biggest blessings in 2016.. proof that God works.
Thanks Bisola