JOHN SHIRK – From First Corinthians 13, verses 4 through 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.”

This is the description of love that never fails.  This is the highest form of love that sustains marriages, supports friendships, helps the hurting, and at times, wins over enemies. This is the kind of love that makes heroes out of ordinary people. Jesus is the ultimate source of this kind of love, so these descriptions of love are true of Jesus too. Jesus is patient. Jesus is kind. Jesus never fails.

The implication of this kind of love is that God wants us to develop this kind of love for others. Ephesians 5:1 says, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

Imitating the love of Jesus is a vital sign of a changed life in the Year of Transformation.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com