What Love Looks Like

 

Valentine’s Day is coming. Its major theme being of love – mainly couple love, yet children exchange valentines to friends. But when it comes to love in the Bible it is covered from the greatest commandment: loving the Lord your God and your neighbor as yourself to Paul breaking down what love looks like in I Corinthians 13.

As we learned last week, love is behind all our gifts to one another. Speaking without love is said to be a noisy gong. If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries, or if I have faith that can move mountains but don’t have love – I am said to gain nothing.

I Corinthians 12 told us about gifts, but here the gifts of tongues, knowledge, and prophecy are said to come to an end. The three gifts that still abide are faith, hope, and love – but the greatest of these is love.

Biblical love is more than just cards, chocolate, and flowers. So, what does love look like? It is patient – long suffering – it endures. It is kind, not rude, and doesn’t envy, brag, or be arrogant. It puts the other before oneself, not insisting on its own way. It isn’t cranky or resentful and rejoices in the truth not in wrongdoing. It bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things. There is no end to love like the mentioned gifts that will come to an end.

In terms of knowledge, we see only dimly as in a mirror. We see the reflection of Christ in his life and ministry as shown in scripture. Jesus is our example of love to follow. But one day our knowledge will be made complete when we will see Christ face to face in glory.

Until then we do our best to live out the love Christ has shown us and by following the qualities of love which Paul tells us in this passage. This love inspires us to the faith and hope that one day we will fully know Christ and understand the mysteries of God’s plan. But until then, let us love like the scripture has told us. Amen

 

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