Love is patient. The dictionary says that patience is the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble or suffering without getting angry or upset. In my opinion, that is a very difficult concept. I am not nor have I ever been a very patient person. Which in a sick kind of way makes me laugh at the fact that I have Lyme disease. Having Lyme disease is all about being patient. It makes me work on everything I am having difficulty with. Patience is a big one. I must trust that God knows what he is doing and I must wait until his plans unfold. I have to tolerate delays with doctors and suffer through treatment not knowing when my next good day will be. Thankfully, I am through the worst of it. But I must try to do this without getting upset or angry because love is patient. God is love and love is patient. Therefore to be more like Jesus I also must be patient.
Love is kind. Kindness can be anything from a small gesture or a smile to brighten someone's day or it can be something much more. Kindness is being generous, considerate, and friendly with a genuine heart. Ephesians 4:32 says, "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving to one another, as God in Christ forgave you." Luke 6:35 adds, "But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil." So it's not only important to be kind and compassionate towards people who are nice to you, it is also just as important to be kind to the people who are unkind and harsh towards you. You never know what a person is going through so a smile their way or a hello as you pass by might just change their entire day.
Love does not envy. Proverbs 14:30 says, "A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones." We must be content with what we have and know that God has given us everything we need to succeed with the plan he has for us.
Love does not boast, it is not proud. Proverbs 11:2 says, "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom." Proverbs 27:2 adds, "Let another praise you, and not your own mouth, a stranger and not your own lips." When we accomplish things, we are proud of what we have done so naturally we are excited about it and want to tell people. For me, I think there is a line between telling someone what you have accomplished and boasting about it. God says instead of praising yourself for all that you have done let the praise come from others. You can talk all you want about how awesome you are but the real praise and honor is when it comes from others and God. We must keep our pride in check. Proverbs 29:23 explains, "One's pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor." It's just a reminder to all of us that we need to strive to be humble.
Love does not dishonor others. We are told to honor our father and mother in Ephesians 6:1. That means that we should obey and respect them. Colossians 3:20 states, "Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord." So not only will you have happy parents but in doing this you please the Lord! I went through a period of time where I always thought I was WAY smarter than my parents and that they had no idea what they were talking about but I learned. I learned that opening up to my parents and really listening to what they had to say was the best decision I had made in a long time. Everything got better. I made much better life decisions by talking to them about it first. I surrounded myself with better friends and influences around me. I learned what real unconditional love felt like and that was it. I was sold. Honoring my father and mother pleased the Lord and in return made me a better and happier person. But this part of the verse is not just talking about your parents, It is referring to everyone including your coworkers, your friends, the people who are just down right mean to you, your family, and the people that are driving slow in front of you on the highway. There is no limit to God's love so why are we limiting ours? We must take heed to God's warning and honor others with love.
Love is not self-seeking. Philippians 2:3-4 says, "Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you not only to his own interests, but also to the interest of others." Love is not selfish. Love is looking around and seeing someone in need and being generous. It is taking a step back and not looking at what you might want but looking at others to know what they need. We get so caught up in our own lives that we don't even see what is going on around us. There is a song by Brandon Heath called "Give Me Your Eyes" and it talks about a man asking God for His eyes so that he could see everything from God's point of view. God sees the needy. God sees the hurt. God sees everyone's situations and sins and still loves us with an unfathomable depth. God knows our hearts. He knows if we do things with a selfish heart. He knows our intentions. God's love is self-less and ours should be too.
Love is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Proverbs 14:29 warns, "Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly." There are always going to be things that frustrate us and anger us but it is what we do with the anger that matters. When I start to get angry or frustrated I pray. I do not pray that he take away what is angering me though, I pray that He helps me understand why I am angry so that the situation can be resolved calmly. People mess up and we all make mistakes so with that in mind we must be understanding and forgiving just like you would want others to be towards you. Proverbs 15:1 adds, "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a hard word stirs up anger." Arguments or disagreements don't have to be yelling and screaming at each other. Arguments and disagreements can be handled calmly. We just have to be understanding, slow to anger, and keep no record of wrongs. Pray for a resolution to your anger. Pray for peace within you so that you may speak with a soft answer. Love forgives and forgets. It does not keep a record of all the sins you have committed. Matthew 6:14-15 states, "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." We must forgive as we have been forgiven. How are we supposed to love like God loves if we are not willing to forgive others like God forgave us? You forgive, let it go and move on. I know that is easier said than done and I don't expect it to happen overnight but it needs to be done. Forgive like you have been forgiven.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. John 8:32 reads, "And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." Love detests evil but rejoices in truth. Find joy in the truth and shy away from evil things. Evil tempts and tries to lure you in but resist and search for the truth! Let the truth of everything set you free from the lies and hatred and shame. John 14:6 declared, "...I am the way, the truth, and the life..." God is the truth so we must follow in His ways so we can live the life He wants us to live. Do everything in Him. Look for His doings in every aspect of your life and in others lives. Jesus can set you free from the chains and the hurt that is holding you back. Rejoice in the truth that God is love and God loves YOU.
Love always protects, trusts, hopes and perseveres. Protecting, covering sins, looking out for one another, its all the same. When you love someone you want to protect them. You overlook their mistakes and failures and just love them without end. Protecting is supporting and being understanding and caring for people you know really well and for the people you don't know very well. Trusting is giving the benefit of the doubt and having positive faith in people. Love always protects and trusts, always. God believed in us so much so that he sent his only son to die on the cross for us! Love that strong blows my mind. Its so incomprehensible that someone could love me that much. I want that kind of love. Love hopes and perseveres. Love hopes for the best in every situation. It never gives up hope! I hope for remission from Lyme disease. It is possible and there will always be hope. There's a saying that says there is always a light at the end of the tunnel and that rings true in so many ways. God is my light and he is waiting for me at the end of the tunnel. It may be dark now but every step I take forward is one step closer to God. That gives me hope and that gets me excited! Lastly, Love always perseveres. It endures through everything. It never gives up or throws in the towel. It works through difficult times. Love never ceases. Love never fails. Its perseverance is endless. God's love perseveres through everything we've done, through all our mistakes and failures and He still loves us no matter what we do. We cannot to anything to make him love us less. That's the love that I want to have.
God's love is the best love and I want to love others as He has loved me. I am not perfect nor will I ever be but doing everything I possibly can to imitate a perfect God seems like a good starting point. God never says anything is going to be easy but he does say it it possible and it will be worth it! 1 John 4:16 states, "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them." Love is what matters the most. Without love we are nothing. Love has been misused for far too long. Love is so much more than the casual way we use it now. Its powerful. It can change someone life forever. I want to start taking love more seriously. It isn't just something we should throw around and act as if it's nothing because it's not. My favorite song in the entire world is a song about real, true love. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I do. It's called "Love Never Fails" by Brandon Heath.
I love you, Kelsey!!!
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