40 Days Pondering the Fruit of the Spirit
Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
40 Days PONDERING the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
Day 25 | LOVE IS PATIENT
40 Days PONDERING the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
Day 25 | LOVE IS PATIENT
LOVE IS PATIENT
1 Corinthians 13:4-5
“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.”
Some sections of the Bible are known for certain qualities. For instance, most church-goers understand that the “Love Chapter” of the Bible is 1 Corinthians 13. And so, it’s interesting to me that as Paul writes this part of his letter to the Corinthians, as he starts describing what LOVE is, his first three words are: “Love is patient.”
Our world today is becoming less and less “patient.” The internet itself has contributed to that.
In the “old days,” when doing research for my masters or doctoral degrees, I remember that it required work in multiple libraries. You had to go there and start researching. You could also do research in “the stacks” – dusty rooms with even more books.
Today, we jump on the internet, open the browser, and start searching away. Sure, most of the references you need to write an academic paper are NOT on the internet, but enough is, that it makes academic papers much FASTER to do than in the old days.
Today, we also have television “on demand” and can pretty much watch what we want, when we want. A long way from when your favorite program came on Fridays at 8pm – and you had to WAIT for it.
I think those tech advances, positive in some ways, have hurt our desire to be patient with one another. We expect INSTANT responses, INSTANT improvements, and other INSTANT actions.
The LORD, though, is saying through Paul here in 1 Corinthians 13 that it doesn’t matter what speed your internet is… we need to be LOVING, and that LOVE for one another includes being patient and kind.
Prayer: LORD, help me to slow down and remember these words that LOVE is patient. Please help me not require others to act more quickly than they do. Help me realize we’re not all the same, but that LOVE, Your agape love, is something I need to show everyone. Amen.
1 Corinthians 13:4-5
“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.”
Some sections of the Bible are known for certain qualities. For instance, most church-goers understand that the “Love Chapter” of the Bible is 1 Corinthians 13. And so, it’s interesting to me that as Paul writes this part of his letter to the Corinthians, as he starts describing what LOVE is, his first three words are: “Love is patient.”
Our world today is becoming less and less “patient.” The internet itself has contributed to that.
In the “old days,” when doing research for my masters or doctoral degrees, I remember that it required work in multiple libraries. You had to go there and start researching. You could also do research in “the stacks” – dusty rooms with even more books.
Today, we jump on the internet, open the browser, and start searching away. Sure, most of the references you need to write an academic paper are NOT on the internet, but enough is, that it makes academic papers much FASTER to do than in the old days.
Today, we also have television “on demand” and can pretty much watch what we want, when we want. A long way from when your favorite program came on Fridays at 8pm – and you had to WAIT for it.
I think those tech advances, positive in some ways, have hurt our desire to be patient with one another. We expect INSTANT responses, INSTANT improvements, and other INSTANT actions.
The LORD, though, is saying through Paul here in 1 Corinthians 13 that it doesn’t matter what speed your internet is… we need to be LOVING, and that LOVE for one another includes being patient and kind.
Prayer: LORD, help me to slow down and remember these words that LOVE is patient. Please help me not require others to act more quickly than they do. Help me realize we’re not all the same, but that LOVE, Your agape love, is something I need to show everyone. Amen.