1 Corinthians 13:4-8
says, "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 John 4:7-8 says
"Beloved, let us love one another for love is of God and everyone who
loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for
God is love."
Matthew 22:37-39
says, "Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your
heart, with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and the
greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor
as yourself.'"
This last week has
been kind of difficult and very humbling. I was told by a couple of new friends
that I apparently have an attitude problem. I tend to think I'm always right
which means that I can be pretty sassy. Well, I never really knew this was an issue
until now. Let me tell you, being confronted with the fact that you aren't
quite as humble as you always thought you are really bites. But as I analyze
myself, I saw that they were right. And I realized that there are a lot of
areas in my life that I need to improve on. I never thought I was perfect, but
being here has really made me aware of the fact that I'm not as Christ-like as
I thought.
Ok back to the
verses; so if God is love(1 Jn 4:7-8), than these verses describe the character
of God and His heart towards us(1 Cor 13:4-8) and then also how we should treat
each other(Matt 22:39). God won't ask anything of us that He hasn't first
demonstrated. These are things I need to work towards becoming, because
ultimately, my goal is to be like Christ. I need to be patient. I need to love
even when it hurts like Christ loved me even when He was tortured and
crucified. I need to work on humility and kindness and being content always,
even when I don’t feel like it.
I need to always
look out for others needs before my own. I need to be slow to anger. I need to
never think evil but only what's pure and true. I need to remember to not
rejoice in sin but be so joyful in things that are true and right. Even though
that might sound weird, I think it means that the things of the world can
sometimes be "fun" or distracting but we need to remember to rejoice
when truth triumphs.
I need to carry
others when they can't walk anymore. I need to believe and hope the best in
people and in situations. I think this means giving them the benefit of the
doubt. I need to willingly suffer whatever is needed for someone else. I need
to do my best to always be there for others and not fail them. I know I will
fail because I am human, but again, my ultimate goal is to be like my Savior.
So now for
application. More than just saying I need to get better at being those things
and being more Christ-like, I need to figure out how I can get better at those
things. Lately, I have been trying to find a verse that relates to the
situation that I am dealing with, memorizing it and then whenever I recognize
that a situation comes up where I am not being Christ-like in the area that
relates to that verse, I remember it and recite it. So for today the one that I
am memorizing is James 1:19.
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