1-18 | God is Patient, God is Kind
God Loves You
This is somewhat of a Part 2 to last week’s post.
Let’s just talk about how amazing God is
Starting with a beautiful passage of scripture…
“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
Some of the greatest words ever penned. (Even it if does include a ton of “its”.
This passage is mostly quoted at weddings or when talking about relationships. Not exactly the point, but it can work. More to the point, it’s sandwiched between two other chapters that are specifically addressing spiritual gifts. Love is highlighted in the middle of all that because it is the greatest one of them all.
Love is unique because while other spiritual gifts may vary from person to person, love is universal. The love described in 1 Corinthians 13 is essentially the character of God. As we put on love,1 we are embodying the nature of God.
Here’s how I’ve heard it preached numerous times…
“Instead of saying the word love, put your name there and determine if it’s true.”
Okay…Paul is patient. Aaaand…I already failed.
I think that can be a good exercise if it doesn’t lead to guilt and self-loathing. We’re talking about the very nature and character of God here. Of course I’m going to fall short of that. It’s not an excuse for my lack of love; just an honest evaluation.
Let’s try reading it another way.
Read it in a way that describes who God is instead of who we are trying to be. Not that we’re not trying. But maybe we sometimes forget that all of the qualities listed in 1 Corinthians 13 originate in Love himself…
God is patient. God is kind. God does not envy, or boast and is not proud. God does not dishonor others. God is not self-seeking. God is not easily angered. (Wait…is that true?) God keeps no record of wrongs. (Really?) I have to stop because I’m getting hung up on these last two.
Do you believe what our passage says about God? We might agree because it’s supposed to be true, but we typically live like God is always on the verge of getting angry with us. Patient? Not with me. Kind? Maybe when I’m doing good. And we find it hard to believe that God wouldn’t remember our wrongs.
We read about an Old Testament God that is often portrayed as mean and vengeful. Yet even then, the ancients knew of the loving nature of God.
“You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.” -Psalm 86:5
The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. -Psalm 145:8-9
God Loves You
I wonder if those words have become white noise to many. But it’s true. He loves you without condition. No more when you’re feeling good about yourself, and no less when you don’t. It’s constant and never changing. Always turned up to the max.
He doesn’t love some people more and others less. You are loved just as much as any popular preacher. Your behavior doesn’t make God turn off his love for you either. Check this out…
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” -Romans 8:38-39
I’ve heard it preached and I’ve even preached that, yes, this is true…but…
Perk up and listen anytime you hear, “Yes, this is true, but…”. The but is often someone’s added condition to what the Bible says.
Yes, this is true, but…you can separate yourself from the love of God.
I’m sorry…no.
Look…if angels and demons can’t separate me from his love, I surely can’t. There is nothing powerful enough to lessen God’s love in the tiniest degree. You and I are included in the “anything else in all creation”. Even if I decide to walk away and not believe, God would still love me.
Yes. God loves you.
Colossians 3:14