1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NKJV) 4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love. It’s a word with many different connotations. It can be viewed from so many different angles. And the word itself can be used in so many different ways.
We tell people that we love them. We express an emotion or a feeling this way.
We show others love by our actions. It’s an outward expression of an inward feeling.
And there are so many other examples of showing love for others. But the verses above give us very specific characteristics of love. These verses go beyond the feeling or the emotion, and they teach us what love looks like outwardly.
So, we are going to look closely at these verses over the next few days and gain a better understanding of how we should walk these out in our daily lives.
Love suffers long.
It is patient in all situations. It doesn’t give up on someone at the first sign of trouble. It doesn’t get frustrated and walk away when a person doesn’t meet our expectations right away.
It doesn’t get exasperated or frustrated easily. It tolerates much, even to the point of making sacrifices.
We love people patiently. We pray for them. We help them. We encourage them.
Now, there may come a time when we need to let them know that we have done all we can do. And then we release them, laying them and their situation at God’s feet and praying for them.
This is all part of loving them and being patient. In the end, we trust that God will do whatever needs to be done and that His mercies will be on them as we pray for them.
More to come…
Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie
Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808
401-315-0902
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