Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
I think we live in a culture that has over-romanticized love and describes it almost exclusively as a mere feeling. But that's not actually what love is. Paul describes love in a completely different way in this text. He doesn't say that love feels patient. He doesn't say that love feels kind. He says love is patient. He says love is kind. Love is not primarily a feeling—love is a verb. Love is action. You could think of love this way: love is the costly effort to do what is best for the beloved. It costs you something to love someone else, and it means doing whatever is in their best interest.
Love Is a Choice
Look at what Paul lists. He says patient and kind—not jealous, not boastful, not proud. Those are all choices. You can choose to be patient. You can choose to be kind. You can choose not to be envious of what other people have. You can choose humility instead of pride. Jonathan Edwards wrote, "Love is a very patient and forbearing grace. It will put up with many slights and neglect and will bear with the weaknesses and infirmities of others." This is really revolutionary—to think of love this way. It shouldn't be, but it really is, especially in our culture. Love is not just something that you fall into or something that you fall out of. Love is something you do. Love is a commandment from God.
What the People in Your Life Actually Need
I think that if we're honest, the people in your life don't need you to just have certain feelings toward them. They need you to actually be patient. They need you to be kind—when they're frustrating you, when they don't deserve it. These are all decisions that we make. It's costly to us. But we do it because it's in the best interest of those we love. That is love. That is what Christian love looks like. Think about your life today. Who in your life needs to be loved in this way—not with feelings, but with action, patience, kindness, and forgiveness? Choose to love them today.
