by Linda Veath

Love Is All You Need

Love is patient; love is kind and envies no one.

Love is never boastful, nor conceited, nor rude; never selfish, not quick to take offense.

Love keeps no score of wrongs; does not gloat over other men’s sins, but delights in the truth.

There is nothing love cannot face; there is no limit to its faith, its hope, and its endurance.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NEB

What an amazing description of love! First Corinthians 13 is read at many weddings. But it’s a passage that applies to all of us in every part of our lives. So if that be the case, just how do we stack up to this description of love?

Why not re-read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 with your name replacing “Love”?

[Linda or your name] is patient; [Linda] is kind and envies no one.

[Linda] is never boastful, nor conceited, nor rude;

never selfish, not quick to take offense.

[Linda] keeps no score of wrongs;

does not gloat over other men’s sins, but delights in the truth.

There is nothing [Linda] cannot face;

there is no limit to [her] faith, [her] hope, and [her] endurance.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NEB

 Oh my ….. that puts it in perspective, doesn’t it? It makes me cringe for I know the truth. I am not patient. I am not kind. I am selfish. I certainly can’t face everything on my own. And there are many days when my faith, hope, and endurance falter over and over again.

None of us can live as described in those verses. That kind of love is not natural to us sinful human beings. So what do we do? We look to Jesus Christ instead, for He is love [1 John 4:16]. If we make a name change to 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, look what happens …….

[Jesus] is patient; [Jesus] is kind and envies no one.

[Jesus] is never boastful, nor conceited, nor rude;

never selfish, not quick to take offense.

[Jesus] keeps no score of wrongs;

does not gloat over other men’s sins, but delights in the truth.

There is nothing [Jesus] cannot face;

there is no limit to [His] faith, [His] hope, and [His] endurance.

[Jesus] will never come to an end.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a NEB

Because of Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection for our sins, He now lives in us through the Holy Spirit. That means Christ’s love is in us, His forgiveness is in us, His kindness and patience are in us. We can read these verses and exclaim “Look what happens when Jesus Christ lives in me!”

That includes verse 8a. Love [Jesus Christ] will never come to an end. And that, Dear Friends, means we will never come to an end either. Amen.

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