THE NATURE AND POWER OF LOVE
This love of which I speak is slow to lose patience—it looks for a way of being constructive. It is not possessive: it is neither anxious to impress nor does it cherish inflated ideas of its own importance. Love has good manners and does not pursue selfish advantage. It is not touchy. It does not keep account of evil or gloat over the wickedness of other people. On the contrary, it is glad with all good men when truth prevails. Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything. It is, in fact, the one thing that still stands when all else has fallen.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a (JBP)
This passage tells us two things that love is and eight things that it’s not. The best way to understand each of these is to see them in the life of Jesus. We could replace the word love with the name Jesus, and the description would make perfect sense. Jesus is patient and kind. He always seeks to build us up and not tear us down. He is humble and isn’t provoked easily when we sin. Jesus has no limit to His endurance and is able to fill us with endless hope. And if everything else went away, Jesus would remain. God is love (1 John 4:8, 16), and this is perfectly revealed in the life of Jesus.
APPLICATION: Slow down and meditate on today’s Scripture. Make a list of all the ways love is described in this passage. Thank Jesus for making this kind of love available to us.
PRAYER: Jesus, I am amazed by Your love. I wish I could be more like You so the world could see more of who You are. Help me love the way You do. Amen.
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?