Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. –1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NKJV
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. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
Reflection on Verse for Today
This thirteenth chapter is widely regarded as the most comprehensive expression of love anywhere in the Bible. In fact, as we read through this passage, which is held in high esteem by a great number of people, we find that the word “LOVE” can be easily replaced with the name “JESUS” in virtually every instance. And rightly so, considering that Jesus exemplifies both patience and kindness.
Jesus does not harbor feelings of envy, nor does he engage in boasting or conceit. Jesus is not impolite, nor does He insist that His way is the one right way. Jesus is neither impatient nor resentful, and Jesus does not take pleasure in wrongdoing; rather, Jesus takes pleasure in the truth, for He is the Truth. And it is only in and through Jesus that we are able to suffer all things, bear all things, believe all things, and hope all things.
When we think about this verse, let us go more deeply into the depth of its actual meaning and actively pray that Christ may be created in us so that we are enabled to love as He loves.
My Prayer
Heavenly Father, I pray that you would help me to grow the holy fruit of love in my life. I pray that I may always dwell in love and always strive to love as Christ loved. Protect me from feelings of envy and arrogance, and grant that the love of Jesus would be evident in and through me as a result of the work of the Holy Spirit. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.