Love Is Patient, Love Is Kind, Love Does Not Envy, and Is Not Arrogant

1 CORINTHIANS 13:4-7
“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
”‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭13:4-7‬ ‭NKJV‬
‬https://bible.com/bible/114/1co.13.4-7.NKJ

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I love these verses, in fact my daughter Mel, read these words out during Taffy and my wedding ceremony.
Society often confuses love with lust.
God's kind of love, unlike lust, is selflessly directed outward toward others, not inward toward ourselves.
It is totally selfless!
It is impossible to have this kind of love unless God loved us first (1 JOHN 4:19), and He helps us set aside our own natural desires so that we can love without expecting anything in return.
This kind of love goes goes against our natural inclinations, thus the more we know and become like Christ, the more love we will show and push toward others. God’s kind of love puts the needs of others at least just as important as our own; Jesus demonstrated His kind of love for us when He died on a cross to pay our debt of sin. My beloved, Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”
‭‭John‬ ‭15:13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
Paul tells us that love "does not envy “, yet so many believers are jealous of others, their life styles, home, ministry, and spiritual gifts. They find it difficult to be pleased for others as they achieve. But God’s kind of love thinks no evil, nor is provoked. Yet sometimes without knowing why, we are angered or irritated by others or their successes.
Not all irritability stems from selfish or sinful motives, although the irritable treatment of others is wrong. Much irritability comes from a love of perfection; a desire that expects programs, meetings, and structures be run perfectly, which can fuel anger at events or people who get in the way or ruin that desire.
Some desire to be number one and put themselves above the rest, or be the powerful speaker or prophet. But the truth is, Jesus is the head, and we are all individual parts of His Church (the body of Christ) and are spiritually gifted according to our own personal calling (1 CORINTHIANS 12).
If the body is to operate smoothly and correctly, we must all must accept our place within the body and operate in unity with the rest using the spiritual gifts that God gave us.
We believers need to remember that it’s not about “me” it’s all about Jesus. He said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16:24-25‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
Are you willing to deny yourself and take up your cross and live for Christ, giving up much of your own dreams and ideas to serve Christ?
The truth is, he who gives up his life for Christ will gain more than he can even imagine; not necessarily in this temporary life, but for all eternity; truly I tell you, “the best it yet to come.”
Meanwhile, while we continue to serve Christ in this perverse world, we must remember perfection only exists in God, and we need to love Him and others regardless, not the visions we have of perfection here on earth.
Not one church will be perfect, so rather than church hopping to find the one that suits your needs, go where the Lord sends you so that you might satisfy the needs of others, being mindful that if it’s not Christ five fold ministry (EPHESIANS 4:11), it’s not of God. Furthermore, be careful not to become a people pleaser by telling them what they want to hear, but by pleasing God and speaking the truth in love, even when it hurts.
Take your place according to God’s will, rather than in your dream position. But most of all, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22:37-40‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.