CHOOSE LOVE THIS YEAR!
1 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
This passage serves as a good check-list for us to aspire to. It also serves as a mirror for us to compare our actions to today.
- What love is – patient, self restrained and kind.
- What love is not – jealous, boastful, self-promoting, rude.
- How love doesn’t act – demanding, easily provoked, keeping record of wrongs.
- How love does act – rejoices in truth, never gives up, always hopeful, endures through every circumstance.
Now take some time to think of each relationship you have and use the check-list.
How are you doing?
It probably won’t take you long to pick out the relationships that you are failing at in the love department. It didn’t take me long to discover that I was falling short of love in some of the relationships close to me and doing better with those at a distance.
By my husband, Pastor Dave.
Other posts I’ve written on what Love is or what it’s not:
What is Envy?
Invest in Love
God is
Love others as you love yourself
Love is free of Legalism
Husbands, this is how you’re to love your wife!
Great post. It DID make me go hmmm…
And I like how you pointed out about doing better with distance relationship than the ones close by.
I need to work on this love list this year! Thanks!
You're welcome. I'm working on my list too 🙂
I LOVE your posts like this! Going to bookmark to go back to read the others after I get home from church!
thanks for the encouragement. xxoo
Hmm funny I thought I have all of #4 and which I do but also have all of #3 which looks different when it's written in black and white, so true and easy and thanks for that, I will definitely work on #3
I too struggle with #3 – a work in progress! 🙂 thanks for leaving a comment Doris. I really appreciate it.