| “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 equips us, so that we can use this God-breathed love, in order to 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 and embodies these characteristics, as detailed by the Apostle Paul. That’s why we cannot depend on the strength of our own wills, on the nature of our own character, or on the depth of our personal reservoir of love. Rather, we must rely on God to breathe His unfailing, undying love into us, through the power of the in-dwelling Holy Spirit.
As the sun rises yet again, and as we strive to begin another new day, let’s determine to ask God for His special divine love. Let’s open ourselves to receive the breathing in of His love and cherish it as a precious gift from Him. Then, with hearts full of His God-breathed love, and in all humility, let’s share His love with all those He brings into our lives this day.
Based on a blog originally posted on Thursday, May 18, 2017
