Day 24: Love in Action

Week 4, Wednesday, January 27

Text: 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

Thought for the day:
Where do you learn the meaning of love? If you watch a popular television show or movie, you will get the impression that love is a strong emotion that can be very intense for a period of time, but it capable of fading.

This picture of love is all wrong, because love is more than a feeling. Love starts with recognition of value, and it is evident in our action. I might have fond feelings towards a person, but if I do not treat that person well, I have not loved. The text today says a lot about love, but it says very little about our feelings. The Bible tells us that love is not easy, but it requires a willingness to serve. Even if we have been wronged, love requires that we keep no record.

Have you ever held the idea that love must be easy? Check again. You will find that the people we love the most are the people who cause the most work in our lives.

Journal/Exercise:
Go back to yesterday’s challenge. Did you offer someone a service on three different occasions? Write down what you did, and think about the response that you received from each service offered.

Think of someone in your life who loved you. How was that person’s love evident? Did he/she ever have to practice patience with you? Did he/she ever have to forgive you? Did you know you were loved by the way he/she acted toward you? As you think about the ways that person showed love to you, try to show the same kind of love to someone today.