“Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NASB1995)
The love being spoken of here is not of human flesh, based on human feelings and emotions which can fluctuate from day to day, and situation to situation, and which is based in the one to whom the love is being given, whether or not they are deemed worthy of the love. For we demonstrate this kind of love to others whether we feel like it or not, and even if the one we are loving hates and mistreats us and is our enemy. For this love comes from God, and it means to prefer what God prefers, all that is holy and godly, etc.
Love is patient: It is persistent and persevering and enduring even when the one we are loving does not love us back, and even if the one we are loving treats us with hate, disdain, ridicule, and betrayal. It loves even when not loved in return. It loves the hater, the adulterer, the liar, the unfaithful, the thief, the persecutor, and the abuser, et al. But love does not pacify sin. It speaks the truth in love to the sinner with the hope that the sinner will die to their sin and now obey God with their lives, and will live now to please God.
Love is kind: Please know that it is never kind to lie to people just to make them feel good, or so that they will like you and will think well of you and not reject you. Speaking the truth, in love, is kind. Being generous, caring, thoughtful, compassionate, and considerate is kind. Helping others who are in need is kind. Sharing words of encouragement and hope, provided it is truth, and not lies, is kind. And exposing the lies of Satan and sharing the truth of the gospel is definitely kind, for it has to do with life and death.
Love is not arrogant: It is not loving to be boastful, proud, haughty, self-important, selfish, self-centered, thinking only of self and what’s in it for you. Love is God-centered, thinking of doing what is pleasing to God, and it is others-centered, thinking of the needs of others. If it is all about you and what you want and what you think you need without regard for others and their needs, it is not love. So, if you are married and you cheat on your spouse and you lie about it and you won’t stop, please don’t call it love.
Love does not act unbecomingly: It does not act improperly, indecently, in a manner which is obscene, immoral, lewd, and crude. It is not unfaithful, adulterous, idolatrous, sexually promiscuous, and unrestrained. And this isn’t just about how one behaves in the public eye where everyone else can see, but this has to do with how you behave and what you do when no one else is looking, too. Sexual immorality, for instance, is off the charts right now, and much is done in secret. And God does see, even if others don’t.
Love is not easily provoked: It is not easily angered, goaded, and/or incited to intense anger, resentment, bitterness and rage resulting in acts of violence, hatred, false accusations, and getting even (trading tit for tat) with others who one thinks did them wrong. We should not be “hot heads” who are easily enraged, often reacting with irrational, intense, and/or quick-tempered outbursts. And we should not be quick to jump to conclusions without thought and conversation and self-examination as to why angry.
Love does not get even: It is not bitter, resentful, hateful, spiteful, unforgiving and intolerant towards others who do us wrong to the point of spite and a desire to want to get even, i.e. to “trade tit for tat.” It is not retaliatory (revengeful) toward others who hurt us and who do us wrong, just waiting for that moment to do to others as they did to us. Instead, love is forgiving, but forgiveness is not giving permission for others to sin against us. It is inviting them to change, to do what is right, and to be loving.
Love does not rejoice with evil, but it rejoices with the truth: And this includes our entertainment choices, if we are ones who are given to entertainment. And this includes movies, TV shows, news shows, sports, politics, music, art, theatre, and anything which we willingly choose to watch, to listen to, and to take into our ears, our eyes, our minds, and our hearts. Do we laugh at and with what is pure evil? Or do we hate the evil and cling to the good? Is it the good and the godly with which we rejoice?
Now, when this says that love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things, “all things” does not include all that is sinful, wicked, immoral, unrighteous, hateful, spiteful, and disobedient to God. It is just providing a concluding remark to sum up all that was said previously. We bear up against being treated badly, and we walk by faith in our Lord, and not by sight. We are people of hope and not of despair who endure all kinds of mistreatments, sufferings, and persecutions for the glory of God.
Make Me a Servant
By Kelly Faye Willard
Make me a servant
Humble and meek
Lord let me lift up
Those who are weak
And, Lord, may the prayer
Of my heart always be
Make me a servant
Make me a servant
Make me a servant today
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