Our scripture this morning is 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.
Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up. It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful. It is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Jesus taught us that loving God and one another is the most important thing of all (the Greatest Commandment, Matthew 22:37-39). Paul explains about love’s characteristics and the ways that we express our love. Later in this chapter he reminds us “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).
When we read this passage, do we see ourselves? Are we patient, kind, not envious and so on? As humans, our emotions often get the best of us and we behave in unhealthy ways. God knows our frailty and He is always ready to forgive us and point us back to the right path when we come to Him in repentance.
The last verse is probably the best description of love we have – “it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things”. God’s love works this way and ours should as well. When we approach our world and those around us with love, we fulfill the Greatest Commandment. It isn’t always easy, but it is always right.
Loving Lord, we are sorry for the many ways we fail to love as You first loved us. Forgive us we pray, and send us in Your name to love the whole world. Amen.
