love?

Patient
Kind
Does not envy
Does not boast
Is not proud
Is not rude
Is not self-seeking
Is not easily angered
Keeps no record of wrongs
Does not delight in evil
Rejoices with truth
Always protects
Always trusts
Always hopes
Always perseveres
[1 Corinthians 13:4-7]

...if love is all of these things, then maybe I do not have or give as much love as I sometimes think.

And maybe love isn't as simple as I think either.


I know that love is what Christ showed us, ultimately, in giving His life for us - that love contains all of these qualities. And I know that as a believer I have Christ in me - so technically, I can love. But do I choose to? Do I allow the Spirit to work through me. Do I allow Him to be patient and kind? Or allow Him to spur me on in perseverance and provide hope and trust?

All these questions I ask myself and my answer is a resounding "no".





So, how can I change this? How can I really love?

Answer: Well, if the source of love is God (1 John 4:7) and God desires relationship with us and we deepen relationship by getting to know Him (i.e. reading the Word and doing it) - then I should do Psalm 119:9-11.

Psalm 119:9-119
9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By living according to your word.

10 I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.

11 I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.

I need to LIVE according to His word - I need to SEEK Him with all of my heart, I need to hide His word in my HEART so that I might not sin against Him. I need to ALLOW His joy to be my STRENGTH. His love will uncontrollably flow from me in all perfection if I do these things - no doubt. But, until I make these things priority, love from me will be sparse, wrong, incomplete.