Daily Devotional for Tuesday, August 5

The Impeccability of Love

“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil,” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.

I enjoy looking at the pictures that show side-by-side comparisons of professional athletes and normal people. The average man and the average professional football player have a one hundred pound and more difference sometimes. The average woman at five feet three inches and the average male professional basketball player at almost seven feet not only look different, but they can almost look like two different species.

That’s the way I feel when reading 1 Corinthians 13. I read of the more excellent way of love. It is patient and kind. It is not envious or boastful. It is not selfish, resentful or hurtful. Love, as described by God, is a pretty amazing thing.

When I set this kind of love next to my normal expressions of love, I sometimes wonder if they are the same thing. I am too often short-fused with those I care about the most. Too often, I am seeking to get what I want out of a situation rather than what would be best. I hold grudges, I keep score and way too many times I love in a situation first so I can get my way. If the love of 1 Corinthians 13 and my love were photographed and placed next to one another, there would be another pro-versus-normal moment of contrast rather than comparison.

I have room to grow. I will not get any taller in this life, only shorter. I will not become more athletic, only slower. But I can grow in love. Through the work of the Spirit within me, I can be conformed to this model.

REFLECTION

As we mature in Christ, our love matures. If our love does not grow, we are not growing.

Jason Rutherford