What Love Requires

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

When Paul lists out the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5, he begins with love. Without love, we cannot bear any of the other eight qualities on a consistent basis. In fact, love should be the

foundation of everything we say and do.

As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, he describes the characteristics of love. He says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

These verses should serve as a constant reminder of exactly what love requires of us. Love means not having a short fuse. It means not being jealous of others, nor trying to make others jealous of you. Love means not keeping track of wrongs done to you, and also refusing to keep track of the things you’ve done right. It means being selfless and kind, and it means telling the truth even when the truth might hurt. Showing someone this kind of love isn’t always easy, but it is the best thing we can do if we want to emulate the character of our heavenly Father.

In our flesh, we can very easily find a reason not to show love to someone. Nothing stifles love more than being cynical and negative towards other people. But Paul assures us that love, the kind of love that comes from the Holy Spirit, never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8). If you love with agape love, if your love practices what it ought to practice and prohibits what it ought to prohibit, it won’t ever fail you. Therefore, let us cling to that promise from Scripture and be a light to others with the love given to us by the Holy Spirit.

Dear Lord, thank you for modeling what perfect agape love looks like with the way you love me. I pray that you would help me to show others that same unconditional love, even when it isn’t easy. Help love to be the foundation of everything I say and do so I can be a light for you in the world. Amen.