4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a)
I remember as a child making my mom so angry that she would say "My patience is wearing thin." And while her patience may have worn thin, I knew her love had no expiration date. Through stupid choices, fazes in my life (I used to have hair down to my shoulders, believe it or not), and through difficult (and at times, heartbreaking choices, even if necessary), my mother's love for me never ended.
When we read in 1 Corinthians that love never ends, know that if it is true love, there will be no expiration date. There's no forgiveness expiration date, and there's no parameters for who receives our love. It continues on. Even when we leave this world in Christ, we will continue on, because God continues on. We will grow with Him forever. It is the great mystery of oneness, the church will be his Bride, and yet we will retain our individuality, growing alongside our spiritual groom for all eternity because He is eternal. In becoming like Him, even now, so our love also must be eternal. We can't put stipulations on who receives it and when. Even our worst enemies should receive our love, because
"6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation." (Romans 5) It is time for us to love with a love that never ends, not only for one another, but for everyone. God's love does not end, even when we're in rebellion, the cross is proof of that. So who, dear believer, do you need this love for? How does this love need to manifest itself in your life?
1 Corinthians 13
8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Comments