“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” |
—1 Corinthians 13:6-7 |
As Christians—“Christ’s-ones”—we have the opportunity to become instruments of God’s mercy, grace, and life-changing love. But, how do we do this when our natural inclinations always seem to turn us away from genuine love?
Fortunately, the Scriptures teach us throughout the Bible that God graciously imbues those He has chosen to belong to Himself with His divine, God-breathed love. This amazing, unchanging, unfailing love enables us, so that we can touch the lives of those people who show up along the pathway of our lives.
As I suggested in yesterday’s blog post, God’s love has some very definitive characteristics. The Apostle Paul continues to detail those characteristics, as recorded in 1 Corinthians 13:6-7:
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Certainly, we can acknowledge that it would not be at all possible for us to consistently love anyone throughout the course of our lives with a love that meets these high standards of characteristics. That’s why we cannot depend on the strength of our own wills. Rather, we must rely on God to breathe His undying love into us through the power of the Holy Spirit.
As the sun rises yet again to begin another new day, let’s determine to ask God for His special love. Let’s open ourselves to receive His love and cherish it as a precious gift from Him. Then, with hearts full of His love, and in all humility, let’s share His love with all those He brings into our lives this day.