In Max Lucado’s book, A Love Worth Giving, he takes statements from 1 Corinthians 13, the well-known chapter on love, and expounds on different aspects of love. He explains that this is how God loves us and how we are to show God’s love to others. Through this process, Lucado brings out insightful thoughts and good applications.
Lucado begins by explaining we can’t give God’s love to others if we have never experienced it for ourselves. He uses the encounter of Simon the Pharisee with the sinful woman who anointed Jesus’ feet in Luke 7 to explain the principle that, “Whoever has been forgiven little loves little” (7:47). The more we understand how much we have been forgiven, the more freely we will extend God’s love to others. As the subtitle says, we live in the overflow of God’s love.
The chapter I most enjoyed was Lucado’s thoughts on, “Love is not rude” (1 Corinthians 13:5) where he explains that Jesus is always courteous, never barging into our lives or demanding his ways, which he could easily have done since he is Lord of all. The chapter is a great reminder that as Christians we ought to be courteous too.
Throughout the book, Lucado uses stories from the Bible, often writing about them as if he were there, as he seeks to engage his readers in the biblical narrative. He also uses personal examples and examples from the lives of others to illustrate his points. Lucado writes in an easy to understand and very relatable way.
Overall an encouraging and helpful read.
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