WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:1-8

As our relationship with the Lord matures, we more and more resemble our Father in how we respond to people by treating them blameless, even as Christ treats us. The question becomes, how do we love beyond defect? The answer to that is in 1 Corinthians 13. Verses 4-7 state, “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” And because of that, love never fails. Love causes growth. Love is the soil out of which growth comes. We discover in this process that the love of God is actually the soil that brings forth both the fear of the Lord and the judgment of God and it is always in behalf of God’s people and purposes. It is not against us, it is for us. What a wonderful love to contemplate!