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October 19 Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered; does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. 1 Corinthians 13:4-6. Here we see not only the definition of love, but also how love is to be expressed to one another. It is too easy to stand at a distance from these verses. Instead we must use them to define how we are to act out our Christian life. There is ample opportunity for each of us to express love in every situation, whether or not we know the person intimately that we are encountering. For example, we can proceed along this list of virtues and examine ourselves to see if we are acting in love. Are we patient even when we are rudely treated, or even when it seems that everything is against us? Can we be kind even when facing an unkind person? Can we do a kind act even if it is not recognized or acknowledged by the recipient? And so on down the list. We are not to brag, for that would only draw attention to self and detract from giving credit to Christ. In every situation we encounter we are to look for ways to express love. Love is an active word; it calls for us to do something that extends beyond our emotions. It is an expression of the life of Christ. Yes, it is even possible to express love to a person we do not even like! Love is a resource of Christ—it has little to do with our emotions. Lord, we desire to express Your love in each moment. The world distracts us from this goal, but it is the people of this world that need Your love. So let us be messengers of love, not by our ability but by Your ability in Christ. We want to walk in Your truth and Your righteousness, for those attributes will guarantee that our walk is in Your Spirit. Amen. |
