OVERFLOWING LOVE
By Carolyn Dale Newell
Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous;
1 Corinthians 13:4a NASB
An overflowing washing machine is never good, but perhaps that is what caused me to listen to the song on the radio. It described God’s love as “overflowing”. It certainly is! I began wondering how it would look if we as believers expressed overflowing love towards others.
Jesus Christ exemplified love like no one else, and Paul gives a detailed description of love in 1 Corinthians 13.
All the words which characterize love are action words. Love is an action. It is the act of taking care of someone just as you would take care of yourself. Biblical love is not an emotion. You don’t need warm, fuzzy feelings to express love. It’s in your actions.
Love is patient and kind. These are all fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22). Therefore, they are divinely produced within us. We don’t need to conjure up mushy feelings. No, we just have to allow the Holy Spirit to have complete reign in our lives as we make the choice to love with patience and kindness.
The Greek word for patience means “to abide under something”. This suggests that there are people who are hard to love. We must patiently bear with them, and we must do it with kindness, never losing our temper.
I don’t know about you, but that type of love doesn’t always spill out from me. I quickly lose my patience with my husband and family. Kindness scurries away when someone steps on my happy. Perhaps they do nothing but cross my path at the wrong time. That is when I must choose to love. Love must leap in before impatience lashes out.
I am a child of God. He has loved me. He has been patient with me. I must die to self so God’s love can flow through me. That is when my love will overflow to others.
Heavenly Father,
You lavish lovingkindness on us with such patience. Help me be more like You. Help me be a shining light for You, rather than losing it and speaking unkindly. Thank You, amen.
DIG DEEPER
Read 1 Cor. 13:4-8.
HIKING THE TRAIL
Do you struggle with impatience? Remember, love must leap in before impatience lashes out. Take a deep breath, count to 10, and repeat today’s focal verse before you act or speak.
Copyright 2016 Carolyn Dale Newell.
A Mountain of Faith 