Love is?

I saw this idea somewhere to read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 in a new way by replacing the word love with God and placing yourself in the verse.  After all God is love...1 John 4:8.  So impacting!  So convicting!  I thought I would share it with you ;-)  Please bear with me if I get carried away!

1 Corinthians 13:4-8  

God is patient with you.  God is kind to you.  God does not envy; He is not boastful.  He is not conceited.  God does not act improperly toward you; He is not selfish.  He is not provoked by you.    He does not keep a record of your wrongs.  God finds no joy in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth.  God bears with you in all things.  He believes all things for you.  He hopes all things for you.  He endures all things with you.  God's love for you never ends!  (HCSB)

God is patient with you.  God is kind to you and not jealous.  He does not brag and He is not arrogant.  God does not act unbecomingly toward you; He does not seek His own.  God is not provoked and He does not take into account a wrong suffered toward Himself.  He does not rejoice in your unrighteousness, but rejoices when you see the truth.  God bears with you in all things, He believes all things with you.  He endures all things with you.  God and His love for you never fails. (NASB)

God is patient with you and kind toward you.  He is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude to you.  God does not demand His own way.  He is not irritable with you.  He keeps no record of being wronged by you.  God does not rejoice about injustice you face but rejoices with you whenever the truth wins out.  God never gives up on you.  He never loses faith in you.  He is always hopeful for you and He endures through every circumstance.   God's love will last forever!  (NLT)

God is always patient with you.  God is always kind to you.  God does not envy, He does not boast, He is not proud.  God is not rude to you, He is not self-seeking, He is never easily angered with you.  God keeps no record of your wrongs.  God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  He always protects you, always trusts you, always hopes the best for you, always perseveres with you.  God's love for you never fails! (NIV)

Isn't that an incredible new perspective on love?  Think about it...chew on it.  Father, may Your Word become part of us internally...not just intellectually.

Ok, let's look at this more specifically.  God being love therefore teaches us how to love, correct?  This is tough...I find that I want love more often than I want to be loving.  I find that my flesh is often more in control than my spirit - definitely my mouth.  The Word says that in order to 'not fulfill the lusts of our flesh we must walk in the Spirit.' Galatians 5:16.  We must remember that 'if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.' 2 Corinthians 5:1. The old is dead...there is no life, no breath, no heart beat...dead.  We have been made new...we have new life.  I don't know about you but I want to stop trying to live as if I am still the old person, stop trying to resurrect what is dead and wasn't even good, because that is a life without Christ.  I have been made new.  (Consider looking up Jason Gray's song, I AM NEW.  You will be blessed.)  There is life where there is power through the Holy Spirit to love as God loves.  God says in 2 Corinthians 12:9 that His grace is sufficient for you, for me, for His power is perfected in weakness.  I am weak.  May we decrease that He may increase, John 3:30.  We must choose! God is love remember...He does not force His way.  We must be determined...moment by moment.  Is He going to be our focus...or are we and the distractions of this life?

I'm am going to get gut level real here and tell you that the enemy is eating my lunch in this area.  I need prayer.  I am struggling to love His way.  I find that more often than not I am impatient, unkind, rude and definitely self-seeking.  I struggle to not keep a record of wrongs and I want 'my' truth to be right.  Particularly with my husband and my children.  I want my way to be best and honestly I want to be protected and when I am not I am provoked.  I am ashamed of my lack of love.

Father, forgive me for being so concerned with me...with my wants and my needs.  Show me the balance of being healthy emotionally, taking care of myself in order that I may love Your way not so that I may be loved more my way.  May Your Holy Spirit have His way in me and please God produce Your fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness and self-control in my life.  Help me to step out of Your way.  Forgive me for being self-seeking and living according to my flesh.  May I submit moment by moment.  Father, I thank You that I do not have to do any of this in my own strength that You tell that without You I can do nothing.  That You are the vine and I am the branches. My job is to abide in You, to remain in You and You will do the job of bearing the fruit, 1 John 15:4-5. God teach me how to abide.  Teach me how to be still, to cease fighting, to stop striving and know that You are God, Psalm 46:10.  May I remember moment by moment that You, God are able to make all grace abound to me so that in all things at all times, having all that I need, I will abound in every good work, 2 Corinthians 9:8.  May I chose to look to You, to love as You love and leave the results to You.  After all You, Lord,  are in control anyway ;o)

Lord God,  touch the life of the one who is taking this Journey Your Way with me.  May Your Word transform our lives...at the very core.  You know each of our struggles and You are not worried.  Thank You for Your mercy, Your forgiveness, Your grace, Your love.  May we walk with You, following Your lead.