Love is patient, love is kind.

 Good morning. Continuing where we left off: and if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. Remember that Jesus did tell the rich young ruler to give all of his possessions to feed the poor. The young man had felt that he was lacking something, and his reliance on his possessions were keeping him from surrendering completely to God. Even if he had done so, it is highly unlikely that he would’ve done so in love for the people who were poor. Humans want to “do something“ to gain acceptance into the kingdom of God; but the reality is that God has done everything, and we simply have to believe it and accept it. Now Paul lists some of the characteristics of love. He alternates between what love is, and what love is not. Love is patient, love is kind. It says that love is patient, not that it has patience. What’s the difference? You can have patience, but do so without love. In other words, you merely endure something. But when you operate in love, you automatically are patient with others. The kindness he is talking about automatically follows from love. In both of these, you are putting the well-being of others ahead of your own. Father help us to always put the well-being of others ahead of our own in love, continually being patient and kind.

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