17^th February

“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.”

1 Corinthians 13:4-5

 There have been so many songs written about love and so many wise words spoken about it. Yet none even come close to explaining what true love is, except these wonderful words in 1 Corinthians 13. So much so that even in secular weddings, these words are used. Why? Because it is the truth. These words almost don’t need commenting on as they speak so clearly for themselves.

The words that describe love in these two verses could be summed up as a self-sacrificial lifestyle. In other words, every word, emotion and verb that is used to describe love, demands us to give up our own desires and put others before ourselves. It doesn’t mean that we cannot or should not have feelings, moreover, it is in loving ourselves and being secure in who we are in Christ, that love is truly fulfilled in the way we live our lives. It is only when we understand how much God loves us, when we accept His love, and then love ourselves, that we are able to love others. We don’t just love others but it becomes a natural way of life.

It is so easy to love someone who is being kind to you or showing you love. However how easy is it to love someone who has wronged you? Love is not just patient and kind to patient and kind people. Love should hold no record of wrong all the time. In truth, this only comes from being fully immersed in the love and presence of God. For it is in that place, that love over flows out of us.