5 Minutes a day / 5 Days a week

with God

1 Cor 13:4-7

4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.


"I want to know what love is" a song sung back in the eighties by a group called Foreigner.
The same holds true even today as it did thousands of years ago, where people were asking and still are, "What is real love?"
Over the next three weeks, we will find out what the bible says love is based upon these two verses in I Corinthians.
If I count it right, I count 15 things that love is and isn't based upon these two verses.
So let's look at the first thing love is:

Love suffers long

"Wait a minute, you mean there is suffering in love? I don't think I am going to like these devotionals."

That's not the type of suffering this is talking about. Maybe if we read it in the NLT it would help out.

  • 1 Cor 13:4a (NLT) Love is patient and kind.


    • Patience is something we can all relate to and is something that Jesus showed us.

  • Luke 22:31-34 31 And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 "But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren." 33 But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death." 34 Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me."


    • How many times has your spouse or a close friend done something that made you really mad, maybe so mad that you are wanting to leave him or her. Where is the patience in that?
    Jesus knew that Peter would deny Him. But Jesus knew that Peter would come back to Him as well, and when he did, Jesus forgave Peter, and never threw it in his face afterwards. That is patience.

    "Yea, but you don't know what he or she has done to me."

    You are right I don't, but I know what Peter did to Jesus and yet Jesus forgave Peter.
    Jesus waited patiently as the Lord did a work in his life.

    "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 "But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."

    This work would prepare Peter for ministry as well as strengthen his walk with Jesus.
    I don't know what's going on in your marriage or with your friend, but God does and He is in control.
    Also notice what patience in love does, But I have prayed for you it causes you to pray for that person and not condemn him or her.
    Also if God is in control, He also sees all those things you do wrong as well, and He is patiently waiting for you to repent and return to Him.

    E-Mail
    Home Page