1 Corinthians 13:4

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant.” 1 Corinthians 13:4

Most people are very familiar with 1 Corinthians 13, because it is the “love chapter.” We may see this passage in picture frames hanging on walls, we may even have this passage memorized, but do we live by it? While 1 Corinthians 13 is a great passage to quote and know, as with all of God’s Word it does us no good unless we actually live by it.

In 1 Corinthians 12-14 the apostle Paul talks about different spiritual gifts, and we need to recognize that chapter 13 was written within this context. While spiritual gifts are useful and important, Paul is letting us know that, above all, love is the root of all those gifts.

Love is patient. Let us remember that God is love, and thus that means that God is patient. I am so thankful that for that fact, but I am also convicted as I remember that I am called to be like Him, and to love like He loves me. Am I patient, or as some versions say, am I long suffering? This is so against my sinful nature.  I looked this word up in the dictionary to better understand what it really means, and my favorite definition was this: “bearing or enduring pain, trouble, etc. without complaining or losing self-control.”  The words “without complaining” really stood out to me. Do I love others enough to put up with hardship and pain, and am I willing to not only put up with this, but to do it without complaining?

Love is kind. Am I kind towards others? I notice how this passage doesn’t say “Love is kind most of the time.” No, it says simply, “Love is kind.” It’s one thing to make yourself be nice to someone for a little bit, but this is not what Paul is talking about. He is saying that love is kind, love is tenderhearted, love is generous, love goes beyond self so that it might bless others. Do I have this kind of heart?

Love does not envy or boast. Again, this is a hard one. Am I willing to love others enough not to envy them, or not to boast to them? I find this interesting that envy and boast are found together here. It’s really easy to envy someone, and I think that when we start to envy others, that is when we start to boast. We become insecure in ourselves and what we have, and so we feel a need to brag to make us feel better about ourselves. I think of Galatians 6:14 – “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” My contentment should be so rooted in Christ that I don’t feel a need to envy others or boast to them, and, when I am content in Christ’s love for me, I am free to love others as a byproduct of His love for me.

Love is not arrogant. As fallen humans it is our natural tendency to be full of self-importance, and yet love says “You are more important than me.”

As I looked deeper into this verse, I find myself convicted and realize how hard it really is to have this kind of love, and yet it is not impossible. Yes, in our own ability it is impossible to love this selflessly, because human love is selfish, but Christ’s love is selfless and He can empower us to selflessly love. Our love for others is an overflow of His love for us.

Application: Today I will pray that the Lord would give me the grace to love those around me as I have been loved. I will specifically ask Him to remind me to not complain, but to be long suffering in my love for others.