1 Corinthians 13:5b
God gives us so many examples in the Bible of what love is, and what it is not. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”
We all love someone deeply, a spouse, child, or friend. Yet, showing them love the way God intends is not always easy to do. Why? Have you ever played a board game with your spouse? Has your spouse ever cheated during said game? The next time you played that game with your spouse, did you bring up the fact that they cheated? It’s okay, I did too. I was not willing to lose another game and wanted to make sure he played fairly. There was a lack of trust, even in something so simple.
Now, think about it this way, have you ever been in an argument with your spouse or even your child? Have you ever brought up something they’ve done in the past during that argument? It’s okay, I have too. Honestly, sometimes it feels good in the moment to remind them of their past. Whether it was because we wanted to win the argument, had an unhealed hurt we’ve held onto, or simply to remind them so it wouldn’t happen again. When we do that, we’re not just addressing the present, we’re reopening old wounds. We aren’t allowing trust to be rebuilt. Instead of showing love and grace, we’re using past mistakes as a weapon. That’s the opposite of what God calls us to when He says love “keeps no record of wrongs.” So how can we truly leave the past in the past?
It starts with humility. Humility allows us to stop, set aside our pride, and remember that we are not perfect either. We have also been forgiven, shown grace, and shown love even when we didn’t deserve it. When we truly understand that, it becomes harder to hold someone else’s past against them. We surrender those past hurts to God and ask Him to help us respond with patience, trust, and grace. It won’t always be easy to set aside our pride and our desire to be right. However, it allows us to be able to grow stronger relationships. God calls us to have a humble and forgiving heart. When we are able to put this into practice and show the kind of love and grace that God shows us, we get one step closer to living the kind of life He desires for us. Choose to truly forgive and be humble enough to set aside your pride.
We all love someone deeply, a spouse, child, or friend. Yet, showing them love the way God intends is not always easy to do. Why? Have you ever played a board game with your spouse? Has your spouse ever cheated during said game? The next time you played that game with your spouse, did you bring up the fact that they cheated? It’s okay, I did too. I was not willing to lose another game and wanted to make sure he played fairly. There was a lack of trust, even in something so simple.
Now, think about it this way, have you ever been in an argument with your spouse or even your child? Have you ever brought up something they’ve done in the past during that argument? It’s okay, I have too. Honestly, sometimes it feels good in the moment to remind them of their past. Whether it was because we wanted to win the argument, had an unhealed hurt we’ve held onto, or simply to remind them so it wouldn’t happen again. When we do that, we’re not just addressing the present, we’re reopening old wounds. We aren’t allowing trust to be rebuilt. Instead of showing love and grace, we’re using past mistakes as a weapon. That’s the opposite of what God calls us to when He says love “keeps no record of wrongs.” So how can we truly leave the past in the past?
It starts with humility. Humility allows us to stop, set aside our pride, and remember that we are not perfect either. We have also been forgiven, shown grace, and shown love even when we didn’t deserve it. When we truly understand that, it becomes harder to hold someone else’s past against them. We surrender those past hurts to God and ask Him to help us respond with patience, trust, and grace. It won’t always be easy to set aside our pride and our desire to be right. However, it allows us to be able to grow stronger relationships. God calls us to have a humble and forgiving heart. When we are able to put this into practice and show the kind of love and grace that God shows us, we get one step closer to living the kind of life He desires for us. Choose to truly forgive and be humble enough to set aside your pride.
Posted in Devotional