Today we’re starting several weeks looking at 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 and thinking about God whenever we read “love.” My prayer is that this series of blogs will help us understand how well loved we are by God, who John tells us is love (1 John 4:8, 16).
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. - 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 ESV
The first thing we see is that God is patient. Other translations show us that God is suffers long or God is long-suffering. The Greek word used here is rich with meaning. It can mean to not lose heart, to persevere, to patiently bear with the offenses and injuries of others, being slow to anger and slow to punish.
Isn’t this how God is with us?
He persevered so patiently when He drew me to Him. He has borne my repeated stumbles into the same sins, even after I was saved and began to know Him and His word. He is slow to anger, preferring to give mercy and grace than to punish. Peter, inspired by the Spirit, sums up this idea for me:
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness,
but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. - 2 Peter 3:9 ESV
Because God is so patient and long-suffering with me, I should be the same to others. (See Colossians 3:12 and Ephesians 4:32.)
I think this includes being patient with myself. I can sometimes beat myself up over my past sin, especially when I’ve done something similar again. But God doesn’t want me to hold onto that shame, which can get in the way of me hearing from Him. When I realize that I have sinned, I need to confess and repent and then let it go.
That brings me back to His patient love for me. While I can get so frustrated with myself when I keep stumbling in the same, God doesn’t. Once I’ve confessed my sin, He remembers it no more. (Hebrews 8:12, Isaiah 43:25) Once I’ve confessed my sin, I need to let that go and get on with doing my best to live for Him.
Think About: How has God shown His patient love to you?
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