I don’t know about you but I have a real struggle with loving people properly. I feel like I’m pretty good at it until I re-examine the Bible’s definition, then I know I fail terribly. 1 Corinthians 13 describes love. “Love is patient and kind, not jealous, not boastful, not proud, rude or selfish, not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs.” My patience and kindness tend to depend on where I am and who I am with. It seems so much easier for me to show the good side to people who aren’t living in my space or directly affecting my life. I don’t have to deal with them for long so I can be more loving. In the comfort of my home I can be rude, selfish, and at times easily angered. Perhaps there’s a problem with getting comfortable. If we are just passing through this strange land, can we afford to be comfortable? We aren’t home yet.

“Love does not gloat over other people’s sins but takes delight in the truth. Love always bears up, always trusts, always hopes, always endures.” That adds up to a whole lot of “always” that I cannot claim to have mastered. The sad reality is that even if I speak in tongues, have the gift of prophecy, have faith to move mountains, give away everything I own, and offer my body to be burned, “If I lack love, I am nothing.” “If I lack love, I gain nothing.” So what hope can I have in my life? 

My hope is found in Jesus. Father knew that none of us would ever be able to love like He intended, not while we are in the flesh. Jesus became our sacrificial lamb of forgiveness. “But you, ADONAI [Lord], are a shield for me; you are my glory, you lift my head high.” (Psalm 3:4)  “But for now, three things last–trust, hope, love; and the greatest of these is love. Pursue love.” How can we pursue love? “God is love.” Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30) Pursue Jesus and you will know Love because His Spirit lives in you.