It is always easier to be active than loving, to be charismatically gifted than loving, to be prophetically certain than loving, to be biblically astute than loving. But none of those are substitutes for love. The first characteristic God expects in you is that you love. 1 John 4:16 says, “God is love.” Thus, John says love is to be the very essence of who you are; the manifestation of your character: “Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.”
Going Deep // Focus: 1 Corinthians 13:3 (MSG)
Are you a loving person? “Sure,” you say, but really, is love the preeminent characteristic of your life? It should be, since you belong to God, and love is his very essence; the manifestation of his character. 1 John 4:16 says, “God is love.” Thus, John says love is to be the very essence of who you are; the manifestation of your character: “Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.”
Let me suggest a sobering way to measure yourself against the kind of love you have been called to exhibit in every aspect of your life—in your home, at work, when you are on social media, at all times, in every place, with all people! Read Paul’s description of love from 1 Corinthians 13:4-6, but substitute your name whenever the word “love” appears:
“LOVE is patient, LOVE is kind. LOVE does not envy, LOVE does not boast, LOVE is not proud. LOVE is not rude, LOVE is not self-seeking, LOVE is not easily angered, LOVE keeps no record of wrongs. LOVE does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. LOVE always protects, LOVE always trusts, LOVE always hopes, LOVE always perseveres. LOVE never fails!”
Hmm! If you’re like me, you and God have some work to do to get you up to speed in the love department!
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