“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.” I Corinthians 13:4-8
I watched the beautiful bride gracefully waltz down the aisle toward her expectant groom. Her gown was gorgeous, her smile spectacular, but nothing compared to the ecstatic love which shone in her eyes.
“Let her always feel this way,” I breathed in prayer. But I knew those feeling would wax and wane over a lifetime.
If you ‘ve been married any length of time, you realize romance is not an everyday event. That feeling is not constant for any consistent amount of time.
The truth about love is this: it’s not just a noun, a feeling. It’s easy to see how we lose sight of the fact that it is also a verb.
Love originated with God. “God is love,” we read in 1 John 4:8.
He gave us very clear instructions in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 of how love ought to look.
Amazingly, we often are on the lookout for this love without ever contemplating how we should implement it into our own actions.
Recently, I excitedly bustled around my house, cleaning everything like mad, including my hardwood floors. That evening my husband and I would leave on an overnight without our children. I was so excited! Then he walked in the door from work. He went clicking around the house on our hardwood floors, in his shoes!
“Please take your shoes off,” I impatiently snapped. (Notice how I ignored verse 4, even though I did say ‘please.’) I mentally justified my words while thinking ‘He knows the house rules and has chosen to ignore them for the past seventeen years.’
There went verse 5.
Ouch!
While Christians often think we ought to implement the exhortations of the Love Chapter to everyone around us, the truth is we often only apply it to those who are ‘easy’ to love. We overlook how we treat our family members and our spouses.
But, the command in Matthew 22:37 to love with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength was not only to love the Lord, but every one.
Reflections:
Monday: How do I define love? Is it a noun, a verb, or both?
Tuesday: According to I Corinthians 13:4-8, what is love NOT?
Wednesday: Review the past few days’ interactions. Think of when you were successful at loving. List when your actions and reactions were not successful.
Thursday: Identify why some were successful and other’s were not. How can you set yourself up for success in the future?
Friday: Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You, that You first loved me. Because of Your gift of love I can love others, even those who are difficult. Please remind me of Your great love and how I am to lovingly act and react towards everyone, especially those closest to me. Amen.
Thank you for reading! Please return by Monday, August 18 for the next post.