St Helena United Methodist Church
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The emotional intelligence of Jesus – Love

So, we have looked at Jesus and his emotional intelligence or IQ for the last few weeks. We began with self-awareness, then we went to empathy, then to confidence, followed by optimism, then last week, we spoke about stress. By Jesus using his innate awareness, he was self-aware and so did not fool himself. For he saw, more than most of us, his strengths and weaknesses.  This led to his being quite empathetic and so relating well to others. Because he did not need to be better than others, did not need to show his superiority in order to shore up his own doubts and fears, he could relate to and with others in a more transparent and generous manner. As a result of these, he had a level of confidence, of faith in his abilities and in God, that was usually high. So from these he enjoyed a powerful sense of optimism, trusting in God and his grace. Because of these, he was resistant to stress, for he knew when it was time to stop and take a break, he know how to gather strength and healing form his friends and he understood that his reliance on God, his faith, brought optimism so that he knew, that though things would look bad at one point, that invariably they would change, and that life would regain balance. He knew that taking it personally was not a good or helpful way to live his life. Offer it up to God, pray that the spirit would come in to his life, trust in the divine and so know that all will be well, in time, all will be well. So he discovered one of the great secrets of life. That love is the power of the universe. Love, curiosity, creativity, engagement in the process and relationship of being alive. You know, love.

What is love?

1 Corinthians 13

13 If I speak in tongues of human beings and of angels but I don’t have love, I’m a clanging gong or a clashing cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and I know all the mysteries and everything else, and if I have such complete faith that I can move mountains but I don’t have love, I’m nothing. If I give away everything that I have and hand over my own body to feel good about what I’ve done but I don’t have love, I receive no benefit whatsoever.

Love is patient, love is kind, it isn’t jealous, it doesn’t brag, it isn’t arrogant, it isn’t rude, it doesn’t seek its own advantage, it isn’t irritable, it doesn’t keep a record of complaints, it isn’t happy with injustice, but it is happy with the truth.Love puts up with all things, trusts in all things, hopes for all things, endures all things.

Love never fails. As for prophecies, they will be brought to an end. As for tongues, they will stop. As for knowledge, it will be brought to an end. We know in part and we prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, what is partial will be brought to an end. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, reason like a child, think like a child. But now that I have become a man, I’ve put an end to childish things. 12 Now we see a reflection in a mirror; then we will see face-to-face. Now I know partially, but then I will know completely in the same way that I have been completely known. 13 Now faith, hope, and love remain—these three things—and the greatest of these is love.

What is love to you?

“Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t have to know Einstein’s theory of relativity to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”    M.L.K.

All the things you are-

You are the promised kiss of springtime
That makes the lonely winter seem long.
You are the breathless hush of evening
That trembles on the brink of a lovely song.
You are the angel glow that lights a star,
The dearest things I know are what you are.
Someday my happy arms will hold you,
And someday I’ll know that moment divine,
When all the things you are, are mine!

 

Pastor Burke Owens