Love is patient and kind;
love does not envy or boast;
it is not arrogant or rude.
It does not insist on its own way;
it is not irritable or resentful;
it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.
Love bears all things,
believes all things,
hopes all things,
endures all things.
Love never ends.
(1 Cor. 13:4-8).
First Corinthians 13 is a beautiful and breathtaking passage. Its declaration and description of love is profound and unparalleled, giving each person who dares to read it enough truth to last a lifetime of reflection and personal application.
However, it wasn’t simply intended to be read at weddings or quoted in cards. Believe it or not, Paul didn’t have a side-gig with Hallmark cards. Rather than reading this passage sentimentally, we should read it with an eyes-wide-open-brutal-honesty to see what real love for real people who live in the real world and have real problems should look like every day. God, through this passage, personally and powerfully does at least three things:
First, in this passage, God painfully exposes our lack of love. If we put away our pretense and allow our hearts to face reality, this passage shows how we tend to unknowingly expect that the expressions of our love will be comfortable and convenient, will avoid being costly and we will be compensated, getting something in return sometime down the line. In other words- it’s conditional. I will love you if you don’t ask too much of me or take too much time; I will love you until it gets too hard. Thus, we begin to see that our love is saturated with ugly impatience, prideful self-absorption, and resentful record keeping.
Second, it shows us our own need for capital “L” Love. When your lack of love has been exposed, you finally realize how much capital “L” love you need from God himself, who is love (1 John 4:16). The vein in his forehead isn’t bulging and his face isn’t red in anger; instead, he is patient with you. When you deserve to lay in the bed your own foolishness has made, he’s kind towards you. When you have come to your end, his love for you never ends. This passage shows you the love of Christ for you. It will be this capital “L” love from him that will fuel the fire of your love for those around you.
Third, it equips us by grace to love real people. Loving real people who press your buttons will require love-fueled patience. When you see real people with really hard struggles, it could tempt you towards arrogance but real love calls for love-fueled humility. When you can’t press the fast-forward button on someone else’s transformation which leaves you dealing with their imperfections, you will learn what it really means to bear with someone in love. This love will impel you towards others even if, or especially when it is uncomfortable, inconvenient, costly, and no hope of relational compensation.
Faith will one day be replaced by sight, hope will one day be fully realized, but love- real love- will never end.
Isn’t that better than a Hallmark card?
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