Day 2 — Love

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no account of wrongs. Love takes no pleasure in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

— 1 Corinthians 13:4–7 (BSB)

The first fruit on the list is love. That makes sense, because Jesus said the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people. All the other fruit grows out of love.

But what is love, really? Movies and songs make it sound like a warm, fuzzy feeling. Feelings are nice, but they come and go. The Bible describes love differently. Look at today’s verses. Love is patient. Love is kind. It doesn’t brag. It isn’t rude. It doesn’t keep a list of everything someone did wrong. Almost everything on this list is something love does.

That means love isn’t only how you feel on a sunny Saturday. It’s how you act on a grumpy Tuesday. It’s letting your little sister go first. It’s not snapping at your mom when she asks you to clean your room. It’s being happy for your friend when they win, instead of being jealous.

Here’s a way to read these verses that might surprise you. Try putting the word Jesus everywhere it says “love.” Jesus is patient. Jesus is kind. Jesus does not boast. Jesus is not rude. Jesus keeps no account of wrongs. It fits perfectly, doesn’t it? That’s because God is love, and Jesus shows us exactly what love looks like.

Now try putting your own name in. Liam is patient. Liam is kind. Liam is not easily angered. Hmm. That’s harder! None of us fits perfectly.

That’s exactly why we need the Vine. We can’t make this kind of love on our own. But when we remember how much Jesus loves us, patiently and kindly, keeping no record of our wrongs, His love starts to flow through us to other people. We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).

Think about it: Which part of 1 Corinthians 13:4–7 is hardest for you? Being patient? Not being jealous? Not keeping a list of wrongs?

Try this: Pick one phrase from today’s verses and “do” it for someone today, especially someone who is hard to love.

Dear Jesus, thank You for loving me patiently and kindly, and for not keeping a list of my wrongs. I can’t love like that on my own. Please fill me with Your love so it overflows to the people around me, even on grumpy days. In Your name, Amen.