AUG. 23 – WHAT IS LOVE?

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.” — 1 CORINTHIANS 13:4-7

Many of us present flowers to our loved ones and think that we are walking in love. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says that love is patient, which means that when you are not patient, you are not walking in love. Love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, and it is not proud. When you are walking in love, you are free from all these; you are free from impatience, wickedness, and pride. Love is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs.

One day, a married couple came to my office, and I asked them what the problem was. The man said, “Pastor, I don’t know, that’s why we’ve come.” So I turned to the woman and asked her, “Madam, what is really the problem?” The woman pulled out seven diaries from her bag and opened one from 2009, saying, “At 4:30 am, this is what my husband did to me.” It was as if I was watching a Hollywood movie. Love keeps no record of wrongs.

Some of you don’t keep diaries in your bags, but you have them in your minds. It is one thing to forgive, and it is another thing to forget. If you love someone genuinely, you will never keep any record of his or her wrongs. May you learn to walk in love.

Prayer: Pray and ask God to give you the grace to forgive others for their wrongs.