His kind of love

Last night I spent some time in First Corinthians 13, reflecting on love and what God truly has in mind when He calls us to His kind of love.

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends." 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

In reading this passage last night, a few things jumped out at me.

First of all, love does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but with the truth.
 Many times, we allow ourselves to take pleasure in things that don't shed light on the truth, but selfishly benefit ourselves. It's easier to lie than to be honest, it's easier to shrug things off than be up front with someone, and it's easier to let our current desires override the wants and needs of others than to put others first. True love despises sin and wrongdoing and selfishness, but completely and wholly loves the truth.

Secondly, love bears all things. I know we hear these verses from the "love chapter" quite frequently and often toss them around, but what does it mean for love to bear all things? I looked up several definitions of the verb bear; they included carry, endure, and support. Love endures all things—all trials, all hardships, all blessings, all tears, all pain, all suffering... Love carries the burdens; love supports one another. Love is relentless.

Finally, love never ends. Love from God is eternal, it cannot be quenched. It is a gift, a timeless blessing. Christ-like love, given to us by a God who loves us so crazy much and wants us to love each other deeply and well, simply cannot be stopped. True love, bearing the characteristics of the godly love defined in 1 Corinthians 13, never ends. 

How reassuring it is to know that God's grace is enough for us. As humans, we simply cannot love on our own. We try. Because deep down we know we have been created to love. But our kind of "love" in this world of sin is a selfish love. In the Kingdom of God, there can be no such thing as selfish love. The two words, by the definition given by God, contradict one another, an impossible oxymoron; they simply can't coexist.

Despite the way the world has distorted views of love, despite Satan's way of twisting definitions and tempting us to believe we can value ourselves more than others, God has redeemed us. He has called us, He is still calling us, to the perfect love He designed for us. The love that connects us with one another and (most importantly) with our Heavenly Father. A love that is true, that never ends. 

Who is God calling you to love today?

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:35