From Ash....Ash wanted to start a study of the 1 Cor 13 verse....here is what he said...and I am beginning the challenge tomorrow Feb 1...won't you join me?

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"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." ( John 13:34-35)
But what is it to love one another?

Love is perhaps the most overused word in the English language and to me its meaning is easily lost in the noise. So what is Jesus asking of us? That we love everyone in the way we love our partners? That we love each other like we love our new Christmas presents? That we love each other like we love our favourite hobbies?

In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul describes what it is to love. 1 Corinthians 13 will be familiar to many as a verse they have heard recited at wedding ceremonies, but the love Paul describes in this passage is not reserved for romantic endeavors. Instead the attributes of love Paul shares are universal, explaining what it is to love another person, in the truest sense.

“Love is patient,
love is kind.
It does not envy,
it does not boast,
it is not proud.
It is not rude,
it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects,
always trusts,
always hopes,
always perseveres.”
(1 Corinthians 13)

Easy right?

I for one find that list to be pretty daunting. But each one in itself seems like something I could do. I can try to be patient, I can try to be kind, I can even try not to be self-seeking! It’s just a lot to take in all at once. It is this which brought about the 1C13 project. We intend to tackle each of the thirteen attributes Paul describes, one each week for thirteen weeks, living intentionally loving. Each week we will be focusing on another attribute, but not forgetting the weeks that have gone by, building up our ability to truly love those around us.

I said there were thirteen weeks, and thirteen attributes, but you may have noticed that there are, in fact, fourteen. The final challenge is perseverance. Whether that means starting the cycle again from week one and being patient, or just going about the rest of your life with the added experience of having focused on love in your life, perseverance is up to you.

So what is 1C13.org? Well, a journey is as much about the company you travel with and meet along the way as it is about the places you go. Throughout the next 13 weeks we will all come across problems and experience triumphs, this is a place for us to share our experiences with each other and help each other through the sticking points. Whether you want to share the photos of your neighbor’s face after you mowed his garden, or the story of your struggle with envying his beautifully mown lawn, we are all in this together.

Ready and raring to go,

Ash

Check out his website to see what how God is using this LOVE CHALLENGE in others lives.....http://www.1c13.org/?CategoryID=1