“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever !”
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Love is a core quality that embodies all that God desires us to be, for He is love and He is our model. The Bible speaks of different kinds of love: romantic love, family love, brotherly love and God’s unconditional love. The kind of love we will unpack is God’s unconditional love, also known as Agapê in Greek, it is a selfless love that stems from the very essence of God.
LOVE IS PATIENT AND KIND
God’s love towards us is patient and kind, we should love in the same manner. We ought to be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of our love (Eph 4:2). We need the Holy Spirit to be patient and kind because he produces these virtues within us.
LOVE IS NOT JEALOUS
Where there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind (James 3:16). People become lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters and proud, blasphemers, disobedient and unholy, which leads to destruction. In light of this, we should not make room in our hearts for jealousy, being boastful, proud, or rude.
LOVE IS NOT SELFISH
Let nothing be done through selfish ambition by looking out only for your own interests, rather take an interest in others too (Phil 2:3-5). Jesus Christ willingly laid down His life for us because He loved us, even though He would have preferred that the cup be taken away from Him (1 John 3:26). We must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
LOVE KEEPS NO RECORD OF BEING WRONGED
Love is genuine, which means we should love each other with genuine affection and not pretend to love others (Rom 12:9). God is merciful, slow to anger, and filled with unfailing love. God keeps no record of our sins, so why should we keep a record of being wronged? Love allows us to see people beyond their mistakes.
LOVE REJOICES WHENEVER THE TRUTH WINS
When injustice arises our response should be to despise it and rejoice whenever the truth wins because love stems from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith (Pro 11:1; 1 Tim 1:5). Love is genuine and wants the best for others.
LOVE NEVER GIVES UP
We fall so many times but God helps us get back up in His loving kindness. God has not given up on you; God is constantly pursuing you and wants to have a personal relationship with you (Luke 15; Rev 13:20). There is nothing that can separate us from His love.
LOVE LASTS FOREVER
Love is consistent, it is the same yesterday, today, and forever. God has always loved you, He loves you now and will always love you (Isa 54:10). There are no limits to His love, He loves you deeply and unconditionally. Love transcends time. One day we will no longer prophecy and pray in tongues but love will last forever, it never fades out.
God’s unconditional love is not just a mere feeling, it is demonstrated through actions. This love is not limited to our relationship with God or ourselves, but it extends to everyone around us. However, it is only possible for us to love in this way through the guidance and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Loving like God means being like Him, and being loved means embracing His essence. Take a moment to reflect on God’s unconditional love, Agapê.
Further study: 1 Corinthians 13; John 13:34-35
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