Verse
of the day: 1 Corinthians 13:4 Love
suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade
itself, is not puffed up;
It is easy to say, love God, and
love others. However, how many of us truly know what that looks like? Jesus
made loving Him simple (I did not say easy, I said simple)…in John 14:15, He
said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” That is pretty straight forward.
We cannot say that we love God and then live a life of disobedience to His
Word. With man, however, the matter of love is a bit more involved.
Nonetheless, the foundation of how we love each other first begins with whether
or not we truly love Jesus; for if we love Him, then we will make every effort
to love one another in the same manner that He subscribes. The Apostle Paul
outlines for us what love looks like when it is put into action, in the way we
treat others, and our attitude toward them. First and foremost, love is longsuffering.
To be longsuffering means that we are able to patiently endure when we are
being oppressed, provoked, or persecuted. It means that we are slow to anger,
slow to wrath (Jm 1:19), and not hasty in our responses to others, even when we
are mistreated. Love is kind. This means that we are courteous, polite, and
have a desire to see the other person happy, regardless of how they treat us. Being
kind and being longsuffering therefore go hand in hand. So often we are harsh
toward people who are harsh toward us, but we never stop to think that maybe
they are experiencing trials and need a kind word spoken to them. One of the
instances where I have seen us Christians completely blow an opportunity to
show the love of Jesus to someone is when we are purchasing items at a store
and encounter that one cashier with attitude; or when we are at a restaurant and end up with the
one waiter or waitress that is having an bad day. There have been times when a
kind gesture or word has made a person like this smile or open up and begin to
talk about the troubles they were having; if this happens, we must then, of
course, be ready to listen and show them the love of Christ. Taking this
approach can certainly open doors for us to share Jesus with them. We, as
Christians, are often selfish, and forget that others have troubles in their
lives. All we care about is that we are treated kindly, rather than always
being ready to be kind to others first (regardless of how they treat us). Jesus
was always kind to others, forgiving, and ready to share with them how they
could gain eternal life. He did not revile or threaten those who reviled, and
mistreated, Him (1 Pt 2:23). Love does not envy. In other words, when we truly
love others, we are just as excited about their successes as they are. Too often,
rather than be happy for another, people, even Christians, instantly mourn that
they are not the one experiencing success, gaining wealth, or having something good
happen to them. For each of us, as born again believers, we must learn to be
content with whatever God has chosen for us; where we live, what we have, what
talents and abilities we have, how we look, and how He chooses to use us. The
Apostle Paul knew how to be content, no matter what state he was in, whether he
had much or nothing, because Jesus was his strength (Phil 4:11-13). When we
learn to be content with what God chooses for us, we will be happy for the
successes of our brothers and sisters, and will not envy, even when we see the
wicked prosper; for theirs is temporary and of no great gain without Jesus (Ps
37:1-2). We cannot be impatient and vengeful, unkind, and mistreat others because
of envy; then turn around and proclaim that we are Jesus loving Christians.
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