TO CHEW ON: "Love … believes all things, hopes all things …" 1 Corinthians 13:7
Today is Valentine's Day when we demonstrate our love with all kinds of loving actions like sending cards, gifting chocolates, and taking our loved one out for dinner. It's a day when 1 Corinthians 13—the Love Chapter—is the perfect reading. But have you noticed how many of the attributes of love listed in it are rooted in thoughts and not actions at all.
Let's make a list. (I've referred to the Amplified along with the NKJV):
Love refuses to think thoughts of:
- envy, jealousy, vainglory or self-exaltation (1 Corinthians 13:4).
- violated rights, self-promotion, resentment, the evil done to it (1 Corinthians 13:5).
Love encourages thoughts of:
- patience, kindness (1 Corinthians 13:4).
- truth (1 Corinthians 13:6).
- perseverance—bearing up under anything and everything, the best about the loved one, hope (1 Corinthians 13:7).
Whatever kind of love we celebrate today—the love of parent to child, friend to friend, or lovers—let's remember that how it begins and whether it stays strong are dependent on the thoughts we feed it. If your love for someone is anemic, take a look at your thoughts about that person. And love-friendly thoughts not only nourish love but also give integrity to all those actions of love we perform today—and every day.
PRAYER: Dear God, please make me sensitive to thoughts that destroy love—like envy, jealousy, and resentment. Help me to make a habit of thinking the best of every person. Amen.
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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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