“Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God.” 1 John 4:2

God’s Word makes it clear that Jesus came to Earth to show God’s love. He did this by eternally saving us from sin & being the Perfect Example of how to love God and others without any limits.

Since 1 Corinthians 13 is a detailed description of love, we will look at how Christ lived out this passage of Scripture (despite the fact that it was not yet written by Paul–The Word is eternal and without beginning).

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a NASB

• Love is patient–I thought I was a very patient person until I began to teach and realized my patience is limited. Why do some of them still not get even the basic stuff we practice every single day? Surely Jesus wondered this with His disciples who were with Him daily and still “didn’t get it sometimes.”

• Love is kind–especially to the most undeserving people. He was kind to Judas. If I lived with the person who would sell me to the enemy, would I love much less even try to be kind to them?

• And is not jealous (the wrong kind of jealous)–God shares us with  the rest of His people. There is another type of jealous that is the right kind, but that is another topic for another time.

• Love does not brag and is not arrogant–the One who deserves all glory stepped down from His throne and traded his royal robes for our sin-the thing He hates most (Philippians 2:5-8).

• Does not act unbecoming–wouldn’t it be blissful to not only know how to act, but have the self-control to do so in absolutely every situation in life, expected and unexpected? Jesus did.

• Does not seek its own–of all people, Jesus had the right to seek His own. After all, He is the perfect God. And yet, He did not seek His own interest but that of His Father’s.

• Is not provoked–despite all that we do to provoke God (intentionally or unintentionally), He still loves us unconditionally. Yes, He is provoked by sin (see His frustration with Israel in the Old Testament) and what He does not judge now will be done on Judgment Day; but His offer of forgiveness is open to everyone (John 3:16).

• Does not take into account wrong suffered–actually, He does take into account ALL wrongs-and personally paid for them. Therefore, He has removed these wrongs “as far as the East is from the West” (Psalm 103:12).

• Does not rejoice in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth–“You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free” John 17:17b. God’s love brings truth, which brings freedom to be His servant instead of being enslaved to sin.

• Bears all things–including all of the sin of the world.
• Believes all things–even Christ trusted His Father, fully knowing His Father’s wrath for sin would be poured out on Him.
• Hopes all things–if He can have hope in saving a helpless and obstinate people, our hope in Him should have no limit.
• Endures all things–living in a wicked world, crucifixion, God’s justice on sin, and other things too numerous to count.
• Love Never Fails
  

Jesus is love and when He came to Earth in the flesh, He showed His love to us. If we have been saved by confessing that Christ has come in the flesh, we should also let His love shine through us by being like Christ. This is what the Journey with God is all about.

~Dawn Boyes