“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant” 1 Corinthians 13:4 (ESV)
When the Pharisees sought to test (trick or trip up) Jesus, they sent a lawyer to Him to ask Him which of the over 600 commandments of the Mosaic Law was the most important. His response: “And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”” (Matthew 22:37-40) In order to fulfill God’s Law we must love God with every part of us, as well as showing that same love toward our “neighbor” (everyone). Paul tries to explain this love here in today’s verse. Note that it is patient and kind — some versions will render this as “longsuffering”. Indeed love can be suffering, because in order to show true Godly love to those around us, we will suffer rejection, insults, persecution, abandonment, etc., but must remain steadfast in our love toward even those offending us. We also must be sure we are not envious of the material goods or status of others, nor boasting of our gains or successes (and remembering to thank God for His provision!), as well as not being arrogant. While the chapter today’s verse comes from is so often recited at weddings, how often is it lived out by those who hear it — not just the couple entering marriage, but each one of us? Let us ask God tonight to give us the wisdom and direction to be able to understand and live out this true love!
Jessica Ford
Communications Director
Alive Ministries USA