The Beauty of Love
 |
| Lady and the Tramp, Walt Disney Productions |
This morning as I was eating my bowl of cereal and reading the Bible I came across 1 Corinthians, chapter thirteen. I have read or heard this passage so many times I think I almost have it memorized. My grandpa even read it in our wedding. You may be familiar with it as well. You might think of it as the chapter of Love. If you’re still not sure which passage I’m talking about this may refresh your memory, “Love is patient and kind; love…”. Sound familiar? Well anyway, as I began to read, my mind turned on to fast mode and I just read over the passage without even thinking of what the words were saying. I just read right over it and I was done, without even engaging my mind. Then I realized that I didn’t even think about what I was reading. I decided to read the passage again and really think about what I was reading. As I began to really read the passage I noticed things that I have never really thought about before. I also realized that there are many areas in my life that are not matching up with what the Bible says love is.
“Love is patient” Am I patient? Am I patient with my wife? Am I patient with my daughter? Am I patient with my dog (this last one needs a lot of work :) ).
“[Love] is kind” Am I kind? Towards the guy that yelled expletives at me the other day as I was driving?
“[Love] does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude.”
“[Love] does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;”
“[Love] does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth”
“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
As I read over these different characteristics of biblical love I was confronted with the fact I am often living in opposition to what biblical love is. What makes this more devastating is that Love is one of the most distinguishing marks of a Christian. Jesus shows us this when He tells His disciples, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35, ESV; see also Luke 10:27, James 2:8, 1 Jn. 3:23). Even more, the Apostle John tells us in his first epistle, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:7-8, ESV).
This brings us to the question, are we as the church defined by love? Personally I need to look again at what the Scriptures say love is and match my life to that standard. How different would our lives look if we lived out biblical love? Let’s strive to imitate Christ and love others!
~Trev
