Love Is

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Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (ESV)

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Devotion:

This passage from the famous “Love” chapter from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians explains what love is. Paul has just finished explaining in the previous verses that all the gifts and talents in the world are worthless if they are not practiced in love. So, he continues in these verses by explaining what this love he has been talking about looks like in practice. Let’s take a look at what the Holy Spirit, through the pen of Paul, has to say about this most misunderstood word, love.

Paul starts by explaining that love is patient. Our society is not known for its patience. We have microwaves to cook our food in the shortest time possible. We have phones that are now really just computers that, from time to time, are used to communicate verbally with others while mainly serving to play games, send written messages, and search for answers to questions we used to have to look up in a reference volume such as a phone book or dictionary. Likewise, Kindness is not often practiced. We can be hard on others, demanding, and sometimes rude. We are even sometimes unkind to ourselves. We can often be perfectionistic.

In fact, all of the negative qualities that Paul identifies as negative, unloving traits are far too often the norm for 21st-century life in these United States. I personally find myself needing to take a step back and change my attitude toward others. I often find myself approving of actions of myself and others that violate these traits of patience and kindness. I often have trouble rejoicing in the truth. I have observed that I’m not the only one who has difficulty living out the way of love that Paul lays out in this passage.

The final sentence in the passage above gives us hope, however. If love bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things. Maybe we can learn to love others and ourselves better. We should return to this chapter of 1st Corinthians often and measure ourselves against the standard that is set here for us. We must let these words convict us as we seek to follow our Savior Jesus Christ more closely and live lives that are worthy of Him.

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, may we follow your example of how to love each other and ourselves better. May these words from the Holy Spirit through Paul’s pen challenge us to be better followers of yours. May our lives become examples of the kind of love you mean for all of us who call ourselves by the name Christian to live. Jesus, we remember what you said about loving one another. May we practice what you preached. Amen.

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