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Love given is never lost, it simply shines brighter

“For our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:29

To be honest, I’d planned to conclude our study on love with 1 Corinthians 13:13 and why love is the greatest Christian virtue.

Though, as I began my writing, God made sure to keep my thoughts elsewhere, on a much-simpler message.

Due to my natural clumsiness, I’d managed to spill some orange juice on a lighter (see my natural clumsiness if you’re questioning how that could happen).

Knowing the lighter still had fluid in it, the potential for a flame, I couldn’t just throw it away. So instead I relied on an old trick you may be familiar with. I found another lighter and while holding down the release of the now orange-flavored one, I held the flame to it. Now I was holding two lit lighters, each with its own flame.

What was broken and worthless had now been restored, able to show its full potential again. All it needed was a light to get it started. I’m also reminded of a candlelight vigil I once attended where one candle was lit, which then lit another candle, and so on and so forth until the once-dark church was bathed in the soft glow of dozens of little flames.

In either case, the first flame didn’t get any smaller, it sparked a brand new fire while losing nothing of itself.

This is love in action. Love given is never lost, it simply shines brighter. This would be my closing message on our study of love. Know that our God, the consuming fire, has placed a fire inside you as well. This fire of love is yours to selfishly guard, or freely give.

Know that when you share your love, you’ll not lose any, you’ll simply spark new love somewhere else. So, if I were to give an answer to why love is the greatest Christian virtue, I suppose I’d say it’s because love has the unique ability to multiply itself infinitely when set free and given to others.

So, in whatever way you can dear reader, let your light shine; never be ashamed to open your heart and give a little love to someone else.

Because your love may be the only thing that can bring out the potential in what appeared to be a broken heart.