I don’t feel loved…
We all yearn to love and be loved. And yet, as we grow in our life experiences, we can grow disillusioned with love. Maybe we have yet to feel truly loved and accepted by our family or community. Maybe we have struggled to love those that are closest to us.
It is always helpful to have a good picture of love, what it is, and what it looks like in action. God has, and always will, love us with a perfect love. Let’s look at several qualities or attributes of God’s love from 1 Corinthians 13:3-8:
“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth:”
His love is…
His love is patient – “suffereth long” (willing to be wronged without retaliation). Hebrews 6:10; 8:12
His love “is kind” (loving people more than they deserve). Ephesians 4:32
His love “does not envy” (not jealous of someone else’s gain or goods). Titus 3:3-4
His love does not brag – “vaunteth not itself” (not impressing others with a focus on myself). Proverbs 27:2
His love is not arrogant – “puffed up” (not seeing myself as superior to another). Romans 12:3; I Corinthians 10:12
His love does not behave improperly – “behave itself unseemly” (not disrespectful or rude). Titus 2:6-8
His love does not insist on its own way – “seeketh not her own” (works toward the best interests of another). Matthew 20:28; Philippians 2:4
His love is not easily offended – “not easily provoked” (not quickly upset or agitated). Psalm 119:165; Proverbs 19:11; Galatians 2:20
His love does not focus on the negatives – “thinketh no evil” (not suspicious but believes the best of others). I Corinthians 10:4-5; Philippians 4:8-9
His love does not enjoy wrongdoing – “rejoiceth not in iniquity” (acknowledges the effect of sin on people, but is not happy in another’s downfall or misfortunes). I Samuel 15:25; Proverbs 24:17
His love desires the truth – “rejoices in truth” (possesses a genuine love and desire to apply God’s Word). Jeremiah 12:3; Psalm 1:2; 19:8-11; II Timothy 2:15
His love is willing to bear anything – “beareth all things” (a chosen response that is not discontent amidst difficult people or circumstances). Philippians 4:11-14
His love believes the best – “believeth all things” (not cynical but having an outlook of trust in God and people). II Corinthians 1:9-12
His love anticipates the best – “hopeth all things” (optimistic that God will bring good from the events in my life). Psalm 14:30; Philippians 2:14-16; II Timothy 4:7
His love persists in difficulty – “endureth all things” (continues unaffected and unchanged around difficult people or circumstances). I Corinthians 9:12
His love never fails – “never faileth” (knowing His love will never cease). Romans 8:32, 39; Hebrews 13:8
I can rest and delight in God’s love for me…
We cannot control how other people choose to love us. We can, however, rest secure in the overwhelming truth that God loves us! When we become secure in His love, we can love others the way He designed us to love (I John 4:10-19). If you are not yet secure in God’s love for you, please click here.
For further study: John 3:16; 17:23; Romans 8:32; Ephesians 2:4-7; II Thessalonians 2:16-17