Digging Deeper

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; -1 Corinthians 13:4

We’ve all heard about God’s love and it is my hope and prayer that we all have experienced it at some level. But, what about the love that we show others? Do we return His love to those around us? Do we return it to Him too?

Here is a little test taken from the Crazy Love book that may help answer that for you. I must warn you it is a bit convicting. Most of us have heard the “love chapter” from 1 Corinthians 13.  Read it below but instead of the word love substitute your own name.

___________ is patient and kind; ___________ does not envy or boast; ___________ is not arrogant or rude. ___________ does not insist on ___________’s own way; ___________ is not irritable or resentful; ___________ does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. ___________ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. ___________ never ends.

How’d you do? Me? Not so good. I can make it through a lot of them but, honestly, I get stuck the most on the first three words. However, this is the model that has been given to us. Read it again and place God or Jesus in the blanks. Fits pretty well doesn’t it? Some might say it’s a little iffy on the “does not insist on His own way” but that would not be be true. He never insists. God has shown us His way through Jesus and we have the choice to accept or deny it.

Do you meet God’s standard? I don’t know about you but according to this test, I have some stuff to work on.

God, we praise You for Your amazing Love and for the example You have given us to model our own lives around. Lord, forgive us for failing at this. Father, use us to love and influence each other to build up Your kingdom and reach those around us with Your kind of love. Amen

by Rick Phillips