Discussion
- Can you remember a time when your own lack of love brought negative consequences? What could you have done differently? Have you sought forgiveness from God and from others? Ask God to help you to do this.
- Which qualities of love are exhibited in the following Scriptures? How can you exhibit these qualities today?
- Matthew 16:23
- John 14:1-4
- Matthew 11:28
- Mark 5:21-43
- Luke 19:1-9
- Write down times in your life when someone has exhibited to you the love attributes listed below. Write down times when you have exhibited these attributes to someone else.
- Love is patient.
- Love is kind.
- Love does not brag.
- Love rejoices in the truth.
- Love endures all things.
- Pick the one love quality from I Corinthians 13 you most need to work on. What is hindering you from putting this love attribute into practice? What can you do to remove these hindrances? How can you move forward in exhibiting this love attribute?
The definition of love found in I Corinthians 13 is long and overwhelming. As mere mortals, it is impossible for us to master all of these qualities at once or even master one on a regular basis. Right now, Satan and our own low expectations want to discourage each of us from even trying because of the seemingly impossibility of it all. We need to fight against that with God’s truth.
God wants us to see the scope of its beauty and He wants us to experience the wealth and abundance love brings into our lives when we submit to His enabling power. So, as we approach this week’s application, we must remember it is NOT about performance. That is not love. It is about a Person and our reflection of that Person to the people in our lives.
It’s easy when reading through such a passage as I Corinthians 13 to think, “Nope, not very patient” and “Nope, not very kind” and “Yep, I think too highly of myself.” But the truth is, we do love well in multiple areas. The examples of our parents, family, and friends teach us how to love and how not to love. Our time in prayer and Bible study also teaches us in this vital area. Some of us are kind most of the time. Some of us have the patience of Job. Still others radiate hope during the most ominous of circumstances.
Let’s not beat ourselves up, nor should we puff ourselves up. As we have seen often in this book, balance is the key to true success in the art of loving one another.
With that final backdrop, let’s get to the business of loving those around us. Let’s be intentional, deliberate, and hard working. Let’s be on the lookout for chances to love. Let’s be sensitive to the times we missed the chance to love or we haven’t been loving when we should have. Then let’s be committed to making it right.
When your child spills another glass of milk, be patient. When your husband forgets to stop for the milk, be kind. When your friend’s chocolate mocha milkshake wins second place in a magazine contest, do not be jealous. When your strawberry/mango milk smoothie wows the ladies at Bible study, do not be arrogant or seek your own praise.
When your sister tells you that dress makes you look fat, do not behave unbecomingly. Do not hold a grudge against your sister for calling you fat. When your husband comes home, do not ask him if the same dress makes you look fat; do not provoke. Do not rejoice in the fact that your neighbor would not even fit in the dress because she clearly weighs more than you do.
When a famous person gets lots of media attention for yet another DUI, do not covet their fancy car, mega mansion, and closet full of clothes. When the missionary shares her story of living in the bush of Africa and tending to the needs of widows and orphans, rejoice with tears for the Truth being spread to the ends of the earth.
When another person is stricken with cancer, pray for her, stay with her, and meet as many needs as you can. When the cancer seems to be winning, believe God holds her in His hands, hope for His eternal glory, and endure with her until His glory is known.
Always remember that with Christ, love never fails!
One Another Living 