- Love is longsuffering (patient)
- Love is kind
- Love does not envy
- Love does not vaunt itself (boast)
- Love is not puffed up (proud)
- Love does not behave itself unseemly (to act unbecomingly)
- Love does not seek her own (see Philippians 2:4)
- Love is not easily provoked
- Love thinks no evil
- Love does not rejoice in iniquity (unrighteousness, injustice)
- Love rejoices in the truth
- Love bears all things (to hide/conceal in relation to faults of others)
- Love believes all things
- Love hopes all things (hope as in waiting with confidence)
- Love endures all things (remain, persevere)
- Love never fails
Though an ideal relationship has this kind of love flowing both directions, there is nothing in this chapter that specifies love only loves if it's being loved. In fact, words like "does not seek her own", "bears all things", "endures all things" speak very loudly of a sacrificial, unconditional love.
That is the kind of love Jesus shows us. Here is an interesting thing to think about. The Bible says we love God because He first loved us (I John 4:19). He demonstrated that love toward us in Christ.
What if we demonstrated Christ's love in all of our relationships? What if, in time, Christ in us transformed formerly unloving people to people who love because we first loved them? What if that person who does not love God, learns about the love of God demonstrated in us and not only grows to love us, but grows to love the One who loves through us? In some relationships, this is impossible to do in our own power. It's truly a high calling. I have written previously that the means of enduring a lopsided love comes from focusing on Jesus and all that He endured for us (Hebrews 13). Recently, though, God has challenged me to take this a step further. I Corinthians 8:3 says, "if any man love God, the same is known of him." When I read that verse this week, the thought came to mind that if my love for God is to show in my love for others, then my love for God must be very deep. It needs to run deeper than any obstacle that would keep me from sharing that love. It needs to be based in something even deeper than what God did for me in the person of Jesus. It needs to be based in something even deeper than what God does for me each day. It needs to be based in the very person, the character of God Himself. The character of God is manifest in those things He does for us, but it is so much more. It is beyond comprehension. It is worthy of our attention. In I Corinthians 7, Paul stated how he wished everyone could be single like he was. He understood that is not very realistic! His reason stated in verse 35 is interesting, though, "that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction". That word "distraction" means excessive worry. Stay with me here....
A difficult relationship certainly can be the source of distraction. When we are distracted from building our relationship with God, it greatly affects our ability to love God. When our ability to love God is out of balance, our ability to love others is lost. The point? Focus! Focus on God. Focus on knowing him. Focus on loving him. If that focus is there, the love check list will be a reality in even your most difficult relationships.
