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Love is Tough
Tim Savage4Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 1 Corinthians 13
I think of love in terms of a feeling for others – usually my wife, my family, and my kids. I think of it in a pleasurable way, that makes my happy. This morning as I read I noticed that these attributes of love are not easy, actually, just the opposite – all of these things are difficult, they’re hard, they’re tough, they require me to turn the other cheek, to have a lot of self discipline, to be selfless and always think of others first. True godly love is tough. It requires me to feel so deeply about others that I am willing to endure many hardships.
That’s how our Heavenly Father loves us. That was Jesus’ example and experience in coming to earth to live, die and come back to life for us. His perfect love is for us to follow and extend to those that God has put around us – our friends, family, neighbors and ministry partners. I must remember that love isn’t easy; by God’s definition love is tough. When I face tough challenges I need to remember that I have chosen to follow Christ and love even when it’s difficult, in fact, I have chosen to love especially when it is difficult.
Dear Heavenly Father,
May I learn to love others with Your love and not mine. My love is selfish, Yours is selfless and perfect. My love is based on others’ performance and Yours is not. May I represent You and Your love to those around me.
In Jesus name,
Amen
