Patience Day 49
Love suffers long . . .
1
Corinthians 13:4
Many believers long to live a Spirit-guided life. They also
understand that they should do so through love, the first fruit of the Spirit
listed. However, in our fast-paced society, where there is pressure to respond
quickly, many Christians fail in Paul’s very first description of love: suffering
long or being patient.
When we truly express spiritual love, it is not selfish,
material, or lustful. It is an active representation of God’s love for us. In
suffering long with love, we learn to forgive multiple times, just as God
patiently forgives us over and over again. We care enough to overcome being
quick-tempered, just as God does not retaliate against us. We seek to better
communicate our love through means that may be better received. We strive to be
patient, not only with family and spouses, but with our enemies and neighbors.
Long suffering does not mean to endure abuse in order to love.
We must protect ourselves from abuse (domestic, verbal, sexual, etc.), for we
cannot love others if we have not learned to love ourselves. So, let us be careful
not to cause others to feel abused from our lack of patience or force others to
suffer in their attempts to love us. Let us act out our love with patience and
be constant in our efforts to love. Let us not fail to love.
See more at www.thefruitinyou.com
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