I Corinthians 13:4,5, “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seekth not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;”
This verse is God’s definition of ‘LOVE’. It is universal, representing all the types of love demonstrated by man: love of a spouse, love for children, love for friends, love for parents, etc. Or, maybe, I should say that it represents the way ‘love’ should be demonstrated. (This may be an area we need to work on!) We all know that the word charity can be interchanged with the word love, so that is the word I will use in this devotional. I appreciate the way that God’s Word can say so much in such a small space. These verses represent a beautiful picture of what genuine love looks like.
- Love suffereth long – it doesn’t give up. It is in there for the long haul.
- Love is kind – it is not quick or hurtful but thoughtful and helpful.
- Love envieth not – it is not jealous of what others have but is encouraging.
- Love is not puffed up – it isn’t boastful and smug. It does not put itself above others.
- Love does not behave itself unseemly – it is not show-offy. (Not sure that’s a word)
- Love seeketh not her own – it doesn’t say, “me first” and want everything done MY way.
- Love is not easily provoked – it is patient and doesn’t fly off the handle easily.
- Love thinketh no evil – it does not jump to conclusions or think the worst.
Love is not just a word to be spoken but a word to be demonstrated. We show true love, God’s love, when we put the actions that these verses express into practice. It is what we should strive for every day!
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