Love Is: Wednesday in the Word

My prayer verse this week is 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. You know, “Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

The Love Is list is a bit daunting and very active. On a good day, I may check off a few of these qualities and actions. On a bad day? Let’s just say I can list ones where I struggle with frequent failure.

God created me with purpose. He created you with purpose. We are salt and light. His ambassadors. New creations.

I believe in the call to be more Christlike in my actions and attitudes. As I struggle to do so, I’m reminded of another list that gives me hope. Galatians 5:22-23 reminds me that love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (sounds a lot like the list above) are fruits of the Spirit of God living inside me and gaining more control over me every day.

It is Holy Spirit power that enables me to overcome my own sinful tendencies and show these traits and live out love in a more meaningful way each day. It’s His job because it’s His job to make me more like Jesus. And since we know Jesus is God and God is love (1 John 4:8), it is God’s Spirit inside me that will teach me what living love looks like in each day through every circumstance.

As I take time to search God’s word in order to understand Him more, I find out who and how He wants me to be. When I listen to Holy Spirit’s internal whisper and obey His guidance, I’m able to apply what I’ve learned from the Word becoming more like Jesus than I was the day before. When I become more like Jesus, I can’t help becoming more of what love is.

Living God’s love every day is my purpose. I want to fulfill it. What about you?