CHRISTIAN LOVE – PATIENT AND KIND

Love is expressed in different ways. The Spirit inspired list of virtues, that the apostle Paul pens in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, is a list, that helps us see God’s perspective, and His heart, in regards to love. It also helps us to see God Himself, in those virtues, and His character. It is worth reading it, again and again. Not just read the list, but earnestly pursue to embody those godly virtues of love, into our lives, and spread them along, as we walk the narrow path, that we are called to.

Let us look at 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 again, to see, what this divine list of virtues on love, is all about, and what it can teach us.
– “4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” – 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

First on this divine list, of how love is expressed is, PATIENCE and KINDNESS. Yes, CHRISTIAN LOVE is PATIENT and KIND. What a way to being the list of virtues that love embodies – PATIENT and KIND.

The original Greek word used for PATIENT in the above passage is, μακροθυμία [makrothumia] which means…
– “state of remaining tranquil while awaiting an outcome, patience, steadfastness, endurance; state of being able to bear up under provocation, forbearance, patience toward others”

The original Greek word used for “KIND” in the above passage is, χρηστεύομαι [chrésteuomai] which means…
– “be kind, loving, merciful”

Love has to be patient and kind. PATIENCE always has to couple with KINDNESS, to have its desired effect, its full impact, and to bear its wholesome fruit. Patience without kindness, is nothing more than, we enduring something, with disdain, but being silent because, we want to be “civilised.” Sorry, that may be civilised behaviour, but certainly not Christian love. We cannot love someone without being PATIENT. We cannot be patient without being KIND. For us to love someone, we have to be both, patient and kind, at the same time. This is love divine, as one finds in the LORD Jesus Christ.

Such love, that is expressed through PATIENCE and KINDNESS is to be shown towards everyone, and not just for “our select set of people.” This divine patience and kindness, has to be applied universally, and uniformly, without prejudice, preference and discrimination towards anyone. Any hint of these evil traits, the love of 1 Corinthians 13, ceases to be the divine love, that it is. The “Samaritan” and the “Palestinian” has to be LOVED UNCONDITIONALLY, with PATIENCE and KINDNESS, always, by every “Chosen” and “Called Out” Christian. This is love, that God talks about and the love which He had demonstrated in John 3:16.

How many times have we messed up in our lives? Was not our Master PATIENT and KIND with us, out of LOVE? To be patient and kind in love, is to demonstrate that, we are imitating Christ, our Redeemer, and our LORD. We are faithfully walking in His footsteps, because we wish to glorify Him, by our faithful obedience, in and through our lives. Such a practice of divine love is not easy, but is only possible, by choosing to walk by the grace, and the enabling of God’s Spirit. We have to walk in the way that our LORD had walked. Our Master wants us to walk in His footsteps. So, if we are CALLED to LOVE anyone and everyone, we have to love them by being PATIENT and KIND, towards them, just like our LORD. Even so, the LORD help us.