6/15/15

1 Corinthians 13:7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love hopes for the best. It treats the other person with the perception that they will reach their greatest potential and deserve to be treated as such.

On multiple occasions, I’ve taught the student who makes it through school with poor behavior and a disinterest in education. On these occasions, I have found it extremely helpful to remember that love hopes all things. Giving these kids “the benefit of the doubt”, gives them a chance to change, to prove that they can do better, and often they rise to the occasion. Sometimes they become the all-star student, because they desire to please and get positive attention. They usually have never been given a second chance.

In marriage, hoping all things gives our spouse a chance to improve their relationship with God and us. It also gives them the opportunity to change.

Finally, love is to endure. This means that our love remains constant. This is not descriptive of a childish romance. It is not a temporary, fleeting feeling.

1 Peter 2:20a If when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.

It is easy to endure when love is new, when love is exciting; however, it is much harder when things are sometimes difficult. True love endures despite hardship, because this is what is right.

God’s love is much deeper, much more complex than the average human romance. It is a high-calling, but it is one worth pursuing.