I began Christopher and Elizabeth’s wedding ceremony with a line from a Don Henley song that has been rattling around in my brain for days now: “There’s just not enough love in the world.” I did that because I wanted to thank Chris and Beth for doing their part in decreasing the love shortage in the world. Indeed, if you have any knowledge of these two, you would know that they have enough love to go around for the rest of the world, or so it seems.
Love is most certainly the key element in any marriage, but it is also the key element in all of our lives whether we are married or not. Since God is love, that makes love and God one and the same. Love needs to be the defining element for all of us. Not just romantic love, but love that sacrifices, love that considers others more important than self, love that is patient and kind, love that keeps no record of wrongs, love that is vulnerable, love that overcomes, love that hangs in there with faith and hope, but is the greatest of them all.
Here’s the question for today: How much does this love define your life? Where are you putting this love to work? What are you overcoming in order to exercise this love? If there’s not enough love in the world, is there enough love in your life?
It’s a simple measurement, really. It will uncomplicate your life. Love is all the commandments rolled into one and it is God Himself. Begin and end with love.
“There’s just not enough love in the world.” Come on. Let’s all do something about that today.
John Fischer The Catch 
Love and grattitude, with these two things active in my life I almost can’t go wrong. When I forget about them, even momentarily, then I go off on a wrong tangent and get all caught up in self again. I try to express love for others in all I do, and to act grateful for them being in my life no matter who they are and how they act.
Not always easy tasks, but they are the keys to a right relationship with God for me.
i really like that verse from Don Henley song: “There’s just not enough love in the world.” and too easily agree with it an add an Amen to it. For me, Mark S., I know that I know I need to see others through the eyes of love and how much I NEED the Holy Spirit’s help in that! And thx Pastor John for that reminder, because on my own, without often being reminded of that, I tend to walk around and live my life for myself and I can get pretty good at loving myself too…
PS also this thought as occured to me a few times while reading this week’s Catch, that your children and how well they’re doing in life and showing God’s love – is a direct reflection of how well you & Marti raised them and in God’s love! Plus I just love the fact there was dacing too @ your son’s wedding! The first Church, where I came to know the Lord, would have never allowed that… and now I think how silly is that to have a Doctrine Stand baning dancing. When it say’s some where in Psalms, David danced before the Lord! Thankful when I took a very well paying engineering job – i looked for a found a new Church, that was built on the “Willow Creek Movement” the Pastor of my old Church told me, I’d love it there, because they tend to be less strict, also a bit more ‘open minded,’ yet do a great job in showing & expressing God’s love – and I did love it there and my love for the Lord jus florished there too. Just as in reading the Catch does often for me now…
PSS Plz tell Marti 4 me, Chandler is still in my thoughts & prayers too… 🙂
John, now your traveling right down my alley. I’ve been searching for you just about all my life. I still remember the girl I “loved” in 1st grade and the first girl I kissed at about 9 years of age. I loved the Beatle’s song: “All You Need is Love”. Unfortunately as a teenager, I started looking for love in all the wrong places because I did not see much love in the church or family. I learned how to make love and boy was I deceived. I can remember crying in my heart as I made love because I knew it was not true love. I finally came to my senses and started a study of Biblical love by reading, meditating on, and journeling on how love was demonstrated by God and others in the Bible. I have learned much about love. Am I a great lover yet after all these years? No, I am still growing in my love for God and others and it is only as I am sensitive to and allow the Holy Spirit of God to love others through me that I am able to love others. Of myself, I can do nothing so. I try to walk with God and remain sensitive to the Holy Spirit and opportunities to demonstrate the Love of God to others. But, you know all this already because I shared my heart’s desire with you in the past at a Forcey Men’s Retreat. Maybe my sharing here will encourage others to study the Book of Love, God’s Word and begin to walk in the Spirit of Love. Blessings to you and yours John; I love you as a brother because you are my brother in Christ.
John, I meant to say: I’ve been searching for Love just about all my life, not I’ve been searching for you just about all my life. I don’t know about you but, at my age I tend to thing one word and type another quite often and have no idea how it happens so, I have to proof read a lot and sometimes still miss stuff because I read what I thought I typed, not what I typed. Anyhow, it was a pretty funny mistype. For those of you out there in cyberspace, I’ve been happily married for nearly 29 years.
My dear brother-in the Lord, Jim W. plz don’t feel alone in this: “I tend to thing one word and type another quite often and have no idea how it happens so, I have to proof read a lot and sometimes still miss stuff because I read what I thought I typed, not what I typed.” I do the very same! And I believe u meant to type: I think one word…not I tend to thing… which gave me a chuckle, simply because I thought, hey i’m not alone in this regard..! 🙂
JimW & MarkS .. Nicely said .. and I wil add 1 more – I think 1 word and say another .. that really can be either be frustrating to folks or chance to see we are human and have a little chuckle over it – Their choice, as for me I say its the new me and I am good with it.
JohnF .. Very well put. Love has to be central in our lives, not just because God commands it, but because we want it. In my 42 year of marriage to my college sweetheart, I have found that love constantly changes, from year to year, as we age and mature. It changes from puppy love, to physical love to spiritual love and at times there is overlap and returns. The keys for us, has been commitment to our Love for each other, regardless of the stage and open communicaton on all things that affect us as individuals and what affects us as a couple. To ensure success we need both a commitment Love and Open Communication lives and relationships.
Have A Blessed Day One and All
a lot of good talk of love here…. I’m happy for Christopher and Elizabeth….. ” love one another….”
My husband and I recently returned from a 10-day denominational meeting with delegates from around the world. Four years ago, I came away from this same meeting feeling anything but love for some of those with whom I had been in contact. This time around I vowed that, with God’s help, I would show love to everyone I met.
I sure did a lot of smiling, and took time to listen to people who hold views different from mine. When I started to have negative thoughts, I paused and remembered what I had promised myself and God.
I told people at home what my intention was, and they were praying for me. I surely felt those prayers…
What a different experience it was this time!