Bible Studies
1st Corinthians 13:4-7 – “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It in not rude, 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.”
Thesaurus Fun:
Patient - long-suffering, enduring, unwearied
Kind – compassionate, benevolent, caring
Hope – expect, anticipate, look forward to
Love is…
Love is the most powerful force in the world. It is always love (in a sense) that drives us. Even the vices that motivate us are at bottom moved by love, a love that has been twisted because it is set on the wrong object – love of money (greed), love of power, love of attention, love of self alone. The only proper object of love is God as Scripture says, “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. (Mark 12:30)”. When we love God first and foremost, everything else falls into place and we begin to live in genuine love like we should. As Scripture says, “…whatever other commandments there may be are summed up in this one command ‘Love you neighbor as yourself’. Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (Romans 13:9-10)”. This description of love in 1st Corinthians must begin to be a description of who we are in Christ – for God lives in us and “God is love” (1 John 4:8). Do you want to know who God is? Do you want to know how to love like He does? Then let’s take a closer look at certain portions of this passage.
Love is patient (long-suffering) – it endures rejection and indifference without wavering and without retaliation. Love is kind (compassionate) – it does what is in the best interests of the other person whether or not the other person sees it that way or not. It does not envy, boast, or act proudly – it is happy for others to have good things and does not try to look better than everyone else. It is not easily angered, but there are times when anger is appropriate and necessary. It keeps no record of wrongs though in His justice God keeps a record of all that we do, yet, for those who have accepted His gift of forgiveness through Christ our sins are removed, “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalms 103:12) and God remembers them no more (Jeremiah 31:34). It always hopes – it maintains a confident expectation that what God has ordained shall come to pass. Even God hopes in this way. As Scripture says, “creation was subjected to frustration not by its own choice but by the will of the One who subjected it (that would be God) in the hope (confident expectation) that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. (Romans 8:20-21)”. It always perseveres – love never gives up.
Point to Ponder
So how do you measure up? Thy this; where it says “love is…” insert your name or say, “I am…” and see how far you get before you feel like a liar. But there is hope, for if you belong to Christ and the Holy Spirit lives in you then you have all you need to be able to live this kind of love.
Let’s pray, “oh great and wonderful God, thank You for who You are, for revealing Yourself to us, and for making us Yours. All praise, glory, honor, and love be to You – God alone worthy. Lord, help us to love and live for You with all our body, heart, mind, and soul. May we serve You with our lives to bring glory to Your name and joy to Your heart. Help us now, according to Your Word and by the power of Your Holy Spirit – help us to love like You love. Help us to love others as You have loved us and help us to love You with all that we are. May the world know us by our love and so somehow see You in us. We ask this for the sake of Your name, Your kingdom, and Your glory. Amen.”
See these songs: Your Love is the Forever Kind, Radical Love
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
Reader Count & Comments
Date
The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com. This is especially true with articles that
deal with personal healthcare and prophecy. We encourage the reader to make their own decision in consultation with God, His Word, and others as needed.
This article has been read 1249 times < Previous | Next >
Read more articles by Dionne Stratton or search for other articles by topic below.
This article has been read 1249 times < Previous | Next >
Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)
Read more by clicking on a link:Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.