Listen:
“It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered.” (1 Corinthians 13:5)
Reflect:
God’s desire is for His children to live in unity bound together with the cord of love. Left unattended, molehills of offences gather more and become a mountain that separates us in our relationships.
1 Corinthians 13 explicitly describes what love does not do. Shortly after I started this devotional, I was on the receiving side of what love is not. I was tempted to respond the same way. But my note began an automatic replay.
Love is not rude, sarcastic or hurtful to others.
Love does not dishonour others.
It is not quick to take offence.
It is not easily provoked, angered or irritated.
It doesn’t keep a track of people’s wrongs.
It is not touchy, fretful, quick-tempered or resentful.
Love is not cranky.
I should be able to put my name in front of each description of what love is not, and it holds true. On the other side of the coin, when my best intentions are misunderstood and unappreciated, how do I hold up against these characteristics of love?
Do I become so offended that I keep my distance for so long that the other person becomes isolated? Do I keep a record of the wrongs done to me that they pile up high enough to create a barrier between me and those God charged me to love?
When we do what love is not, we open the door for the enemy to separate, isolate and attack us. He is always looking for the one who feels unloved and alone to attack.
If we practice what love does not do, we fray the cord that is expected to hold us together in unity. Ultimately, we will isolate ourselves or others from the fold and live in bitterness and unforgiveness.
Whether I am on the giving or the receiving side of what love is not, the outcome is the same: isolation and disunity.
Prayer of Response:
Heavenly Father, You have shown me how to truly love others in the way You and Jesus love me. Though I may not have control over the hard curves life throws at me in my relationships, please help me respond according to Your Word and follow the example of Jesus. Help me truly love the people around me with Your kind of love, so that when someone does something wrong against me, I don’t keep it in my thoughts and allow it to break the cord of love and unity between us.
Questions to Ponder:
- Am I reflecting God’s love when I am so quick-tempered and easily provoked that I fly off the handle and mindlessly cut others down with my words, attitude and actions?
- Will I be a blessing to others if I am rude and selfishly insist on my own way?
- If I am not a blessing to those who are closest to me, how can I be a blessing to those on the outside?
Breath Prayers:
Join us in praying breath prayers each day. We invite you to write your own as well.
Inhale(Breathe in): Oh Lord, I choose love
Exhale(Breathe out): I am not rude or easily offended
Inhale(Breathe in): I receive love from You
Exhale(Breathe out): I reflect love to others
—Submitted by: Irene Olumese
Irene is a lung transplant survivor and bilateral amputee who speaks and writes to inspire hope. As a certified Faith-Informed Transformational and Trauma Coach, Irene helps those wounded by life’s adversities heal the pain of their traumatic experiences and transform it into power, purpose and profit that will serve eternal value. Irene is the Founder of the Feet of Grace Foundation, a charity organisation that provides prosthetic rehabilitation services and opportunities for a better life for indigent female amputees. She lives in Geneva with her husband, Peter, and their two adult sons and is adjusting to her new role as mother-in-law to two amazing daughters.