Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not conceited, does not act improperly, is not selfish, is not provoked, and does not keep a record of wrongs. Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 HCSB
When we study our Bible, and we get to know our Lord and Savior, we see that it’s really all about the great love that God has for us. A love so great that He sent His only Son from heaven to be born of a virgin and live here on earth, being fully man and fully God. He sent Him to suffer the same things we suffer, but without sinning. He sent Him to be ridiculed, persecuted, falsely accused, tortured, humiliated, and crucified on a cross. He did this so that we could have our sins washed away by His blood. He conquered death and arose from the grave and later descended to be at the right hand of God the Father. He is our intercessor and our refuge in times of trouble. And in Him, we can also conquer death.
He showed this great love for us to teach us how to love others. I’m not sure about you, but I sometimes struggle with loving unlovable people. But then I have to remind myself that God loved me even when I was unlovable. It was His great love for me that saved me. It was His great love for me that provided a way out of the mess I had made of my life.
The Bible instructs us to forgive others as our heavenly Father forgives us, and this is a requirement for us if we want to be forgiven (Matthew 6:14-15). Then in Matthew 5:44, Jesus said we should love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. This is not always so easy to do; it requires love.
Love is our basis for living a successful life. Jesus said that the second greatest commandment was that we love others as we love ourselves. He said this because He knows most of us love ourselves a great deal; it’s our love for others where we often struggle.
God teaches us love through His holy word. He shows His great love for us and teaches us to love others. He does this because this is how we can be successful. As Christians, our success is not measured by our bank accounts, our homes, or the cars we drive. It’s measured by our love.
When we love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind, and we love others as we love ourselves, we obey God’s commandments. Jesus said in John 14:15, If you love me, you will keep my commandments. When we love Christ and surrender our lives to Him, and love others, and keep His commandments, we live in Christ. When we live in Christ, we are successful; we win. Paul said in Romans 8:35-37 that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, not affliction, anguish, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, or sword. In all these things, we are more than victorious through Him who loved us.
We all want to win. If you want to win, you must have love in your heart for Christ and others. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13:2 that without love we have nothing. And in 1 Corinthians 13:13, he said, “Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
Anger and hatred only lend to more anger and hatred. Trade them for love. When that’s hard to do, lean on God; He will be glad to help you. Our Scripture passage for today tells us that love conquers all. It wins every time, and with love in your heart, so do you.
Have a great day!