Love is patient, love is kind and is
not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly;
it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong
suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things
I Corinthians 13:4-7
Love bears all things, believes all
things, hopes all things, endures all things.
The idea conveyed
here is similar to what we ended
with last week – that of love covering.
Perhaps the best way to think of it is that love does not cave under the
pressure of all things put upon it. Love
is so strong that it will not collapse, it will not give up, no matter what. This is not saying that love is naïve or
gullible but it means that love does not despair or lose confidence in what God
says is true. Love withstands failures and setbacks, trusting in God’s ability
to accomplish what He desires. Love is
not an unrealistic “Pollyanna” but it does persist with a positive, persevering
attitude regardless of what circumstances seem to dictate. Love refuses to be discouraged or dismayed
but delights in finding joy in the Lord’s truth.
This love is
what enables us to remain in difficult situations and refuse to say “I can’t
take it anymore”. This love is what
holds us in a marriage that others say is hopeless. This love places trust in what God says, not
what we can see. One of my favorite
sayings is that God’s Word is tru-er than our circumstances. That’s what love clings to.
Take some
time today and ask the Lord to speak to you about places in your heart where
you have given up, where you have succumbed to the pressure of difficulties, or
where you are not hoping in Him but rather are walking by sight. He wants His children to be mighty in
spirit, to not grow weary in well-doing, to remain courageous under
pressure. He longs to answer these
prayers for you. Run to Him. Remain in His arms…abide in His love. Endure.