I Corinthians 13 (NASB)

By Larry Pasley

     Love Is Patient - We must not make impatient demands but allow people to grow at their own pace.
     Love Is Kind - We must be gentle and sensitive to the needs and hurts of others.
     Love Is Not Jealous - Our supreme concern must be for other people’s growth and well-being, not our feelings.
     Love Does Not Brag and Is Not Arrogant - We must not spend our energies building up ourselves, but remember that servanthood is making the other person successful.
     Love Does Not Act Unbecomingly - We are not to try to act like non-Christians. We need to be Christians who act like Christians.
     Love Does Not Seek Its Own - Our desire must be to put others first. If we cannot do this then we cannot expect others to do it either.
     Love Is Not Provoked - At times this becomes a great difficulty, but we must learn as the Apostle Paul in II Corinthians 2. He stated that in every disappointment he learned to use that situation to reaffirm love for the person who disappoints him.
     Love Does Not Take Into Account a Wrong Suffered - Jesus suffered much wrong and rejection and we, too, must be willing to experience that same suffering.
     Love Rejoices With the Truth - Others will easily see our values by what we get most excited about.
     Love Bears and Believes All Things - We must expect the best and see people as God sees them - for the potential they can become with Christ’s help.
     Love Hopes All Things - We need to memorize Philippians 4:8 and recite it daily to ourselves.
     Love Endures All Things - Many heartaches will come our way, and the desire to give up and quit will often pass through our minds. But God’s love for us endures even our shortcomings. How can we do any less?
     Love never fails – We should never stop loving people because of their actions. Love will cover a multitude of sins.

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    The Apostle Paul said love is the fulfillment of the law. (Rom 13:8) If we love God and love our neighbor as ourselves then we will do all that God expects of us. If we love God, we will keep His commandments (John 14:15) and if we love our neighbor, we will do nothing to harm them. (Rom 13:10) If we love our enemies, we will do good to them. (Luke 6:27) Twelve times in the New Testament we are told to “Love one another.
     May we always realize the importance of Love.

- Larry Pasley serves as a minister with the Jackson Street Church of Christ in Alexandria, LA. He may be contacted through the congregation's website at http://www.JacksonStAlex.com