Here’s something to reflect on during this Lenten season.
“But anyone who does not love does not know God, God is love” (1 John 4:8 NLT).
16 Characteristics of LOVE
It was March 2019. I had been retired for less than a year and was feeling a void in my life. Feeling a prompting in my spirit, I began writing this weekly focus message to the Sick and Shut-in Ministry to encourage, inspire, celebrate and motivate our ministry team. Later that month on the morning of March 28th, I spent some alone time with God as usual and was following my scripture reading plan for the day when I saw that one of the scriptures was 1 Corinthians 13. Because it was so well known, I contemplated skipping over it in hopes of delving deeper into something less familiar, but the words seemed to leap from the page and reverberate in my spirit in a way I had not experienced before! No matter what talents, gifts, academic degrees, how much faith, how much I give to the needy, how well I preach, teach, prophesy, speak in tongues, if I do not have LOVE, I am NOTHING—NOTHING! WHAT??? Wait a minute!!! So how do I know if I have love?
There are 16 ways to know. Here they are: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” [AND] “Love never fails”
(1 Cor. 13:4-8a, NIV).
Without a doubt, this is why LOVE is the first element of the fruit of the Spirit! If we spent the entire Lenten season between now and Easter cultivating, pruning, and assuring that we have the16 characteristics of love listed above in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, all the other elements of the fruit of the Spirit will also be present within us!
Now, I can tell you that I love you. But you won’t know it—not really, unless I demonstrate it through these 16 qualities. What are your thoughts about this?
Focus Quote: “God showed [demonstrated] how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him” (1 John 4:9 NLT).
