Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. [1 Corinthians 13:4-7]
We read these words and the familiarity of them can cause them to lose their power. But they must not.
Love is the difference.
More than gifting, more than position, more than anything we may consider important, love has to be evident. It has to become more visible ~ in our marriages, our family, our homes, in our teams, our churches, and between leaders.
Love reveals itself in a whole bunch of simple way so that we become people who are…
patient, kind, not envious, not boastful, not arrogant, not rude, not insistent on our particular way, not irritable, not someone who resents, not keep records of wrong, truthful, enduring all things.
How about taking an inventory on how we love? In every sphere of life, leader or not, how is our love quotient? On those characteristics above how would we score ourselves out of 10? Where is there a need for honesty and improvement?
Let love be an evident fruit of the Spirit in our life which causes others to comment. Not a soppy romantic love but a strong, resolute love. Something which remains regardless of what’s going on around us. And not so we can boast either, except to recognise the work God is doing in our life as we choose to live by the Spirit and not according to the flesh.
I would love to hear what you think…