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.


We are going over the definitions of love and what love is and isn't based upon these two verses.
Through these devotionals you may notice that I refer a lot towards marriages and friendships, because if the world needs to see love in us as Christians, I think it needs to start in the home and in the church. If the world sees our marriages and friendships with other Christians falling apart, why would they ever want to come to Jesus, because they already have bad marriages and friendships. That's why through these devotionals I refer to marriage and friendships within the church.

So the second thing that love is goes hand in hand, in a sense, with the first thing that we looked at yesterday.

Love suffers long and is kind

We saw yesterday that "suffers long" also means "patience".

But not only "patient" but also "kind" , which we will look at today.

So what do you think of when you hear the word "kind" ?
Maybe you think of letting someone go ahead of you in line at the grocery store.
Maybe you think of giving to a charity or a homeless person.
Those are kind things, but to love and be kind is more then just that.
Let's look at the same verses we did yesterday and not only see Jesus as being patient with Peter, but also kind towards him.

  • 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."


    • We know that Jesus was patient with Peter and even prayed for Peter, even though Jesus knew that Peter would betray Him.
    But also notice something else that Jesus does not do. Jesus didn't start yelling at Peter and calling him names.
    Jesus didn't say, "You idiot Peter, you are so full of pride and you are going to fall big time, you loser."
    No, Jesus didn't and would not ever say anything like that to someone who He loves.
    Instead they are words of kindness and encouragement.
    Maybe your spouse has messed up, what kind of words do you have for him or her?
    "You idiot, I can't handle you anymore, I'm out of here!"
    How do you think Peter would have felt if Jesus said that to him?
    Peter would have walked away and never returned. But because of Jesus' kind words and words of encouragement, Peter did come back to Jesus, His head hung low because he knew he messed up, yet Peter also knew that Jesus loved him and that he could come back.

    Do you and your spouse, or friend have such a good relationship, that you know that even though you may have messed up, that they can come and confess that to you, and you will respond with kinds words, or will they get a tongue lashing from you?
    So next time they mess up, why not say, "I know you messed up, but I have been praying for you that God would deliver you from this, and I want you to know that I am here for you also."
    Your response shows if you have real love towards them or not.

    E-Mail
    Home Page