Always Endures

I have been so incredibly encouraged today by a pastor who has been going through 1 Corinthians 13. Now at first I was rather hesitant - this chapter is so frequently used in weddings and in talking about how one should be 'good' to others... it's almost seen as cliché. I have witnessed it used on so many occasions that not only do I have it memorized but it has been engraved in my inner being.

Love is patient, love is kind...

I don't see this as a bad thing necessarily but when I think of it right off the bat, I can hear my mum making reference and also quoting Ephesians 4:32 '... tender hearted, forgiving one another...'. This is indeed a remarkable verse combination but when you're 12 years old getting told off cause your brother was being a brat, it gets on your nerves.

It does not envy, it does not boast...

But to take the time to sit down and actually listen to how it not only highlights but really digs deep into the profound goodness of our Lord and Saviour, a totally new spin was taken and I came to see more of the mind-boggling character of Him. I cannot even begin to assume that I know everything about God. I know some things of Him, I have experienced other things that have completely perplexed me to a state of complete awe.

It is not proud, nor rude...

And I am reminded of a few of the most concrete yet sometimes forgotten traits of my Lord. That 'love is the personification of the character of God' and through all of the mention of these components that show the true description of love, all of them are not adjectives but rather verbs: they are parts in which show the action of this love.

It is not self seeking, nor keeps record of wrongs.

There have been so many beautiful attributes to Him which I knew as head knowledge but never put together within this verse... these series of phrases define the One whom I follow so incredibly well and have begun to engrave in me more than just conscious comprehension but into a deeper rooted grasping of this truth.

I look at Jesus and I see it again. I see His kindness, don't you? You see His kindness as He picks up a fallen woman and loves her. Do you see His suffering as He says on the cross: 'Forgive them.' Do you see His ... His total lack of jealousy as He says: 'I came not to seek My own glory but... what?... the glory of Him that sent Me.' And as He said: 'I'm content not to be ministered unto but to... what?... to minister and give my life, a ransom for many.' 

He is far more wise, far more astute then we can fully realize in it's completeness. I've been challenged to seek these own things in my life in real and tangible ways to show my following and fellowship with Him. We serve a God who never gets boring, that's certain!