It’s a Test Worth Taking
During my last Wednesday night’s Bible Study, one of our gals shared a sweet love story. She told our group that she and her husband were in bed, and he commenced to pick up his Bible and read this to her:
“Leah is patient. Leah is kind. Leah does not envy or boast. Leah is not arrogant or rude. Leah does not insist on her own way. Leah is not irritable or resentful. Leah does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. Leah bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Leah’s love never ends.”
Leah went on to share how precious was her husband as he spoke those words that weren’t necessarily true about her but she purposes to strive to be that love daily. It sure touched my heart and soul.
On our way home from our Bible studies, I shared that story with my husband putting his name in the place of “love”. And isn’t that what we all should strive for in our daily lives with not just our family but with others?
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 is truly a LOVE test. Can we pass it? Goodness! I need to study for that test and hopefully get a passing grade when I take it daily!
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist in its own way (oh me, how many times did I miss that one?); it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.”
WOW — that’s a boatload of love! There have been plenty of times when I had to do a self-analysis as if God were giving me a Love test. I’ll admit I’ve flunked the test many times, but thank God, my grand Tutor — keeps working with me to get it right!
If I replaced LOVE in that scripture with my name, how would I measure up? “Donna is patient and kind; Donna does not envy or boast; Donna is not arrogant or rude. Donna doesn’t insist on her own way……….”
I wonder if we sincerely took those words to heart, applied them, and heeded them in our marriages and friendships, how many relationships would be saved?
What if we quoted this chapter before our feet hit the floor each morning? Imagine how we could change our world when we passed the LOVE test daily.
God passed the LOVE test when He GAVE…… John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He GAVE His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.”
How can we compare THAT love to the love that we share? It’s a daily workout to love the unlovely or love those who have hurt us or demean us, but if we ask God to place within us His AGAPE love (His selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love), we CAN be that kind of LOVER.
AGAPE love is a divine capacity to love. I pray His AGAPE love to be in me and you today, AND to flow through us to those who need His love so much. Let’s go for the A+ on the LOVE test today!