A Love That Lasts - The Crosswalk Devotional - February 13

Carbonatix Pre-Player Loader

Audio By Carbonatix

The Crosswalk Devotional updated banner logo

A Love That Lasts
By Aaron D’Anthony Brown

Bible Reading:
“Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs. Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” - 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, CSB

Holidays like Christmas and Valentine’s Day provide us with invaluable time to showcase our love for others. So many people, ourselves included, go above and beyond to demonstrate just how much we care. We spend time with people, buy them gifts, take into consideration what they prefer. And we painstakingly avoid all the things that they don’t. These times throughout the year remind us that there is a lot of love to share and a lot of people in need of love. Yet, as great as these times are for so many people, we’re left with a very obvious question when all is said and done. If we can love so well then, why don’t we love so deeply always?

I can remember a time in my life when I bought people gifts for Christmas or birthdays. Sometimes there was thought put into the gifts, but mainly, I wanted to fulfill obligations. Obligations that, at times, they didn’t even set! Now, as I’ve gotten older, I don’t buy gifts out of feeling an obligation. I also don’t wait until the holidays to celebrate people. After all, if we love only when the act is convenient or expected, then is it really love?

Perhaps there are some ways in which you put limitations on how well you take care of those around you. This is an important question to ask ourselves because sometimes we make decisions, even accidentally, that stifle our ability to love. Loving others is the second greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37-40), and yet, we don’t always do our due diligence to fulfill it. Imagine God claiming to love us, but making clear He doesn’t always want us to seek Him. Or imagine your parents, children, or friends saying, “I love you,” but only during certain times of the year. We certainly prefer for people not to limit their love towards us. And if so, then the opposite should also be true.

If we follow God’s example when we interact with other people, then He will show us how to cultivate a love that lasts. Not for a day or season, but all year long.

Intersecting Faith & Life:

As Christians we are called to follow after God. That means sharing with others a love that lasts through every season and even extends to our enemies. However, how exactly do we do that? The answer is simple. We search for the evidence in His example.

Love Consistently

God wants us to seek Him no matter the day or the time. While we won’t be pursuing one another so passionately, His example does reaffirm that we should always try to be there for each other. Hardships come often when we least expect. If we love each other consistently, then we’ll always show up even during those unexpected moments. Loving each other was never meant to be easy. Look at Jesus, He paid a hefty price to show His love for you and me.

Love Generously

How much does God give you? Truthfully, there is no way to quantify just how blessed you are. Even if you spent a day or a year trying to write it all down, you wouldn’t be able to recognize every which way God’s hand has been moving in your life. We simply don’t have the divine perspective. However, looking at His generosity, we can, at the very least, understand that we shouldn’t be stingy with what we give, nor superficial. God’s gifts have meaning. Ours should too.

Love Openly

God’s love for us is also steadily visible, not hidden under a rock. If you’ve ever had a friend or loved one who was ashamed of their relationship with you, then you know what the feeling is like to be hidden from others. Among other things, you feel unworthy. God doesn’t treat us like that, and therefore, we should not do that to one another. Love openly seen can be openly felt.

Love Authentically

Don’t love in the way man tells you to love. People can definitely give good advice, but if you want to understand true love, then you cannot seek mankind is the ultimate example. No. The epitome of love is God. His love isn’t for show or without intention. He knows us intimately through and through and loves us in the ways we respond to. That includes loving us when we don’t love back and loving us in ways we don’t deserve. We’re human and thus won’t match God perfectly, but we can still look at Him and understand how to love authentically, each and every day.

Further Reading:
1 Corinthians 16:14
John 3:16
John 15:13
1 John 4:19

Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Tom Merton 


aaron brown profile pic bioAaron D'Anthony Brown is a freelance writer, hip-hop dance teacher, and visual artist, living in Virginia. He currently contributes to Salem Web Network’s Crosswalk platform and supports various clients through the freelancing website Upwork. He's an outside-the-box thinker with a penchant for challenging the status quo. 

Get in touch with him at aarondanthony.com and check out his debut short story anthology Honey Dreams on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Check out fantastic resources on Faith, Family, and Fun at Crosswalk.com

Listen to the Jesus Calling Podcast!

Welcome to this special bonus episode of the Jesus Calling Podcast, inspired by the topical themes from Sarah Young’s seasonal prayer devotional Jesus Listens: Prayers for Every Season. Today, we are featuring guests who speak to themes that all of us might be experiencing in this season of winter. As the days grow shorter and the night longer, we are offered a rare gift: permission to stop. This season can be a challenging time for many, and if you are struggling with low spirits, please know you are not alone, and help is available. This episode is an opportunity to honor your weariness, to resist the urge to rush, and to discover the profound healing that happens when we simply let ourselves rest in the stillness. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow Jesus Calling on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!

 

Salem News Channel Today

Sponsored Links


September 26 - Phoenix, AZ
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts


November 2 - Detroit, MI
Zion Christian Church in Troy


October 6 - Los Angeles, CA
Pasadena Convention Center


November 5 - San Antonio, TX
Norris Centers – The Grand Red Oak Ballroom


October 8 - Sacramento, CA
William Jessup University


November 7 - Tampa, FL
The Palladium at St. Pete College


October 22 - Minneapolis, MN
Crowne Plaza AiRE


November 15 - San Francisco, CA
Fremont Marriott Silicon Valley


October 23 - Philadelphia, PA
Green Valley Country Club


November 16 - Denver, CO
CU South Denver - Formerly Wildlife Experience


November 2 - Chicago, IL
Chicago Westin Northwest in Itasca


November 21 - Cleveland, OH
Holiday Inn Rockside in Independence



Salem Radio Network Speakers

Larry Elder is an American lawyer, writer, and radio and television personality who calls himself the "Sage of South Central" a district of Los Angeles, Larry says his philosophy is to entertain, inform, provoke and to hopefully uplift. His calling card is "we have a country to save" and to him this means returning to the bedrock Constitutional principles of limited government and maximum personal responsibility. Elder's iconoclastic wit and intellectual agility makes him a particularly attractive voice in a nation that seems weary of traditional racial dialogue.” – Los Angeles Times.

Mike Gallagher Mike Gallagher began his broadcasting career in 1978 in Dayton, Ohio. Today, he is one of the most listened-to talk radio show hosts in America, recently having been ranked in the Talkers Magazine “Heavy Hundred” list – the 100 most important talk radio hosts in America. Prior to being launched into national syndication in 1998, Mike hosted the morning show on WABC-AM in New York City. Today, Talkers Magazine reports that his show is heard by over 3.75 million weekly listeners. Besides his radio work, Mike is seen on Fox News Channel as an on-air contributor, frequently appearing on the cable news giant.

Hugh Hewitt is one of the nation’s leading bloggers and a genuine media revolutionary. He brings that expertise, his wit and what The New Yorker magazine calls his “amiable but relentless manner” to his nationally syndicated show each day.

When Dr. Sebastian Gorka was growing up, he listened to talk radio under his pillow with a transistor radio, dreaming that one day he would be behind the microphone. Beginning New Year’s Day 2019, he got his wish. Gorka now hosts America First every weekday afternoon 3 to 6pm ET. Gorka’s unique story works well on the radio. He is national security analyst for the Fox News Channel and author of two books: "Why We Fight" and "Defeating Jihad." His latest book releasing this fall is “War For America’s Soul.” He is uniquely qualified to fight the culture war and stand up for what is great about America, his adopted home country.

Broadcasting from his home station of KRLA in Los Angeles, the Dennis Prager Show is heard across the country. Everything in life – from politics to religion to relationships – is grist for Dennis’ mill. If it’s interesting, if it affects your life, then Dennis will be talking about it – with passion, humor, insight and wisdom.

Sean Hannity is a conservative radio and television host, and one of the original primetime hosts on the Fox News Channel, where he has appeared since 1996. Sean Hannity began his radio career at a college station in California, before moving on to markets in the Southeast and New York. Today, he’s one of the most listened to on-air voices. Hannity’s radio program went into national syndication on September 10, 2001, and airs on more than 500 stations. Talkers Magazine estimates Hannity’s weekly radio audience at 13.5 million. In 1996 he was hired as one of the original hosts on Fox News Channel. As host of several popular Fox programs, Hannity has become the highest-paid news anchor on television.

Michelle Malkin is a mother, wife, blogger, conservative syndicated columnist, longtime cable TV news commentator, and best-selling author of six books. She started her newspaper journalism career at the Los Angeles Daily News in 1992, moved to the Seattle Times in 1995, and has been penning nationally syndicated newspaper columns for Creators Syndicate since 1999. She is founder of conservative Internet start-ups Hot Air and Twitchy.com. Malkin has received numerous awards for her investigative journalism, including the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (COGEL) national award for outstanding service for the cause of governmental ethics and leadership (1998), the Reed Irvine Accuracy in Media Award for Investigative Journalism (2006), the Heritage Foundation and Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity's Breitbart Award for Excellence in Journalism (2013), the Center for Immigration Studies' Eugene Katz Award for Excellence in the Coverage of Immigration Award (2016), and the Manhattan Film Festival's Film Heals Award (2018). Married for 26 years and the mother of two teenage children, she lives with her family in Colorado. Follow her at michellemalkin.com. (Photo reprinted with kind permission from Peter Duke Photography.)

Sponsored by:

A Love That Lasts - The Crosswalk Devotional - February 13

Carbonatix Pre-Player Loader

Audio By Carbonatix

The Crosswalk Devotional updated banner logo

A Love That Lasts
By Aaron D’Anthony Brown

Bible Reading:
“Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs. Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” - 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, CSB

Holidays like Christmas and Valentine’s Day provide us with invaluable time to showcase our love for others. So many people, ourselves included, go above and beyond to demonstrate just how much we care. We spend time with people, buy them gifts, take into consideration what they prefer. And we painstakingly avoid all the things that they don’t. These times throughout the year remind us that there is a lot of love to share and a lot of people in need of love. Yet, as great as these times are for so many people, we’re left with a very obvious question when all is said and done. If we can love so well then, why don’t we love so deeply always?

I can remember a time in my life when I bought people gifts for Christmas or birthdays. Sometimes there was thought put into the gifts, but mainly, I wanted to fulfill obligations. Obligations that, at times, they didn’t even set! Now, as I’ve gotten older, I don’t buy gifts out of feeling an obligation. I also don’t wait until the holidays to celebrate people. After all, if we love only when the act is convenient or expected, then is it really love?

Perhaps there are some ways in which you put limitations on how well you take care of those around you. This is an important question to ask ourselves because sometimes we make decisions, even accidentally, that stifle our ability to love. Loving others is the second greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37-40), and yet, we don’t always do our due diligence to fulfill it. Imagine God claiming to love us, but making clear He doesn’t always want us to seek Him. Or imagine your parents, children, or friends saying, “I love you,” but only during certain times of the year. We certainly prefer for people not to limit their love towards us. And if so, then the opposite should also be true.

If we follow God’s example when we interact with other people, then He will show us how to cultivate a love that lasts. Not for a day or season, but all year long.

Intersecting Faith & Life:

As Christians we are called to follow after God. That means sharing with others a love that lasts through every season and even extends to our enemies. However, how exactly do we do that? The answer is simple. We search for the evidence in His example.

Love Consistently

God wants us to seek Him no matter the day or the time. While we won’t be pursuing one another so passionately, His example does reaffirm that we should always try to be there for each other. Hardships come often when we least expect. If we love each other consistently, then we’ll always show up even during those unexpected moments. Loving each other was never meant to be easy. Look at Jesus, He paid a hefty price to show His love for you and me.

Love Generously

How much does God give you? Truthfully, there is no way to quantify just how blessed you are. Even if you spent a day or a year trying to write it all down, you wouldn’t be able to recognize every which way God’s hand has been moving in your life. We simply don’t have the divine perspective. However, looking at His generosity, we can, at the very least, understand that we shouldn’t be stingy with what we give, nor superficial. God’s gifts have meaning. Ours should too.

Love Openly

God’s love for us is also steadily visible, not hidden under a rock. If you’ve ever had a friend or loved one who was ashamed of their relationship with you, then you know what the feeling is like to be hidden from others. Among other things, you feel unworthy. God doesn’t treat us like that, and therefore, we should not do that to one another. Love openly seen can be openly felt.

Love Authentically

Don’t love in the way man tells you to love. People can definitely give good advice, but if you want to understand true love, then you cannot seek mankind is the ultimate example. No. The epitome of love is God. His love isn’t for show or without intention. He knows us intimately through and through and loves us in the ways we respond to. That includes loving us when we don’t love back and loving us in ways we don’t deserve. We’re human and thus won’t match God perfectly, but we can still look at Him and understand how to love authentically, each and every day.

Further Reading:
1 Corinthians 16:14
John 3:16
John 15:13
1 John 4:19

Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Tom Merton 


aaron brown profile pic bioAaron D'Anthony Brown is a freelance writer, hip-hop dance teacher, and visual artist, living in Virginia. He currently contributes to Salem Web Network’s Crosswalk platform and supports various clients through the freelancing website Upwork. He's an outside-the-box thinker with a penchant for challenging the status quo. 

Get in touch with him at aarondanthony.com and check out his debut short story anthology Honey Dreams on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Check out fantastic resources on Faith, Family, and Fun at Crosswalk.com

Listen to the Jesus Calling Podcast!

Welcome to this special bonus episode of the Jesus Calling Podcast, inspired by the topical themes from Sarah Young’s seasonal prayer devotional Jesus Listens: Prayers for Every Season. Today, we are featuring guests who speak to themes that all of us might be experiencing in this season of winter. As the days grow shorter and the night longer, we are offered a rare gift: permission to stop. This season can be a challenging time for many, and if you are struggling with low spirits, please know you are not alone, and help is available. This episode is an opportunity to honor your weariness, to resist the urge to rush, and to discover the profound healing that happens when we simply let ourselves rest in the stillness. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow Jesus Calling on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!

 

Salem News Channel Today

Sponsored Links

On Air & Up Next

See the Full Program Guide