How Does Love Respond?

1 Corinthians 13 is considered the "love chapter" by many people. I don't know of any other description of love equal to its greatness. It is here that we find a God-quality of love.

This past week I spent some time with a good friend and I noticed that there was a new phrase that he kept using: "How would love respond?". Although I didn't ask him where he picked up the phrase, I loved how he was using it. Think about it. What if we responded to every situation we faced and every person we encountered with this same question?

How does love respond? Let's take a look...

Love is Patient and Kind - Irregardless of the situation and irregardless of the person, love always responds with patience and kindness. Patience is a word we tend to throw around rather easily so I think it's good for us to look at the NKJV rendering of the word. The NKJV tells us that "love suffers long..." Patience we figure people have or don't. But this reading of love is a great description. Love is willing to put up with stuff! Love is willing to handle the long haul. And while love is suffering it is able to do so with kindness.

Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude - Unconditional love (God quality remember) knows nothing of jealousy. It never brags or operates in pride. This type of love is never rude. Is this the way love responds in our life? Absolutely! The problem isn't love, but rather if we choose to operate in love.

Love does not demand its own way - This one hurts a little bit. How many times have I demanded my own way in relationships? How often have I been upset at God because I didn't get what I wanted? The God-quality of love that should be active in my life does not concern itself with having its own way. God doesn't operate like that in our lives. He allow us the freedom to do it our way even if it means falling on our faces.

Love is not irritable and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged - When you read this list you discover that the description of love often exhausts a point. Rudeness and irritability seem alike in the English language but they really are different. If I am irritable it's because I haven't walked in the path of longsuffering. Oh...by the way...love doesn't keep score. I know people who can tell me who wronged them, when it happened, and how often. Love doesn't do that!

It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out - The NKJV reads this way: "does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth." Does it seem odd to anybody that this description of love would have to be written down? But you have to understand the intended audience. The church at Corinth had some morality issues going on inside the body. Up to this point they were not willing to deal with the sin problem. How does love respond? It responds by never rejoicing at the iniquity around it but rejoices when truth has adjusted error.

Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance - AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! Oh, how I wish more marriages would operate in this type of love. How I wish churches would do the same! Love doesn't get to a point and quit. Love, unconditional love, endures through every situation and circumstance. It is inexhaustible.

After reading through 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, I understand why my friend was asking this question. How does love respond when it receives bad news? How does love respond when it is rejected? How does love respond when it doesn't win? How does love respond? According to verse 8 "It never fails..." How is that possible? Because love will be around long after everything else. The gift of love is everlasting.

I would love to say that I always operate in this type of love. I would love for my children to say that I was never irritable or my wife to say that I never insisted on my own way. I would love for my church family and others to say that I was never rude. However, it's just not true. But love isn't finished with me yet! Love still endures and continues to champion what is right in my life. Maybe if I take the time to ask the question then I will display a better love.

"How does love respond?"