The God kind of love
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 1 Corinthians 13:1
I have always thought that this chapter in 1 Corinthians was a description of how love should be in a marriage. Like this was a template of the way a husband should love his wife and vise versa. However, since this chapter falls right between chapters 12 and 14 that are both about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and since it starts out talking about the gifts, I have now come to realize that it is about operating in the gifts of the Holy Spirit with the love of God. This great love chapter is the instructions of how we are to love all people, not just our spouse.
It starts with: If you can speak in the language of people and of angels but you do it without love, you just sound like a lot of noise. It goes on to say that even if you have the gifts of prophecy, knowledge and faith but do not display them with love, you have nothing. Those gifts are worth nothing in eternity.
Love is the key to operating by the power of the Holy Spirit. This goes along with what was mentioned yesterday that you can desire the best gifts, but truly operating in the gifts of the Holy Spirit only matters if it is done with love. It makes sense too. Since God is love, surly everything He does is motivated by love. Not a human temporal love, it is by God’s eternal, perfect and unconditional love. If God’s love is our motivation in all things, toward all people, then we can expect that the Holy Spirit of God/love will flow through us.
Below is a list of what love is according to 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.
Love suffers long
Love is kind
Love does not envy
Love does not parade itself
Love is not puffed up
Love does not behave rudely
Love does not seek its own glory
Love is not provoked to anger
Love thinks no evil
Love does not rejoice in iniquity
Love rejoices in the truth
Love bears all things
Love believes all things
Love hopes all things
Love endures all things
Love never fails
Wow! That truly is perfect love.
Today I want to encourage you to study this list of things that will improve your love walk. Don’t hold back your love to only give it to those who are deserving. The truth is none are deserving, we only hold a higher standard of love for those closest to us. Drop your guard and decide that you are going to love all people with the God kind of love. The only thing it will cost you is your pride, and that’s a good thing. Of course, you will not get it perfectly, but that’s ok. Just get back out there and do it again. It is a practice and as you practice loving all people, your daily practice will make impactful progress. So go ahead and get rid of your pride, humble yourself by practicing loving like God loves. It will not only make a difference in the lives of those around you, it will change your life too!
Today’s scripture reading: 1 Corinthians 13
