KEY SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 13:5 “(Love) Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil”

Today we will continue with the portrait of love with an emphasis on the fact that love is not easily provoked. It is rather amazing to find married couples burst out in anger screaming at each other over offenses that could be easily blinked at.

The underlining truth is that true love or agape (a Greek word used for the God kind of love) is absent. Pride which is an inner sense of seeking significance or protecting that air of importance is what dominates such a relationship. Pride is also a misplacement of one’s true identity (accepting yourself to be what you are not).  Such a home is a very miserable one. It is like putting two heavy-weight wrestlers in a closed cage.

Dear brother or sister, you don’t have to punish each other that way. Love does not consider himself or herself very important. Love is there, to be spent. Love is a sacrifice ready to be slain. This is why love does not get irritated over matters that excite the ego to come into action.

Consider King Saul and his son Jonathan. It was clear that David was the next successor to King Saul, yet Jonathan never felt the slightest dislike or irritation about David. He loved him and fully supported him to become the next king. Saul was extremely angry and mad with David so much so that he pursued him to slay him. (1st Samuel 20:1-45)

Jonathan whose “position”, David was annexing did not feel the slightest hurt but King Saul who was fading away could not stand it. Jonathan loved David with his soul (1st Samuel 18:1). King Saul was self-centered and could not come to terms with the fact that God had chosen David to reign after him.

Allow love to reign in your heart and you will be free from being petty over trivial matters. Why quarrel and strive with your spouse, your friend, your customer, etc? Let love reign in you. Remember you are a product of love and love is your nature, so you can love.

        CONFESSIONS

I am born of God. I do not live by my senses, so I’m not provoked or irritated over trivial matters. I live above all such things. My life expresses the love of God in its purest form.

THOUGHT:  PRIDE MAKES A FOOL OF A MAN, WHILE LOVE PRODUCES WISDOM

FURTHER STUDIES:

Colossians 3:12-13 ” Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye”.

1 Samuel 18:1 ” And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul”.