Page 5 - #LoveWarrior

Along with 1 John 4:16, I have found 1 Corinthians 13, NKJV, (in its entirety) to beautifully describe what love is.
To paint the picture for us all, Paul the Apostle wrote this letter to the Church of the Corinthians as a way to explain
a "higher way" of living the Christian life:

The Greatest Gift
13 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels but have not love, I have become sounding brass
or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all
knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not
love, it profits me nothing.

4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not
behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but
rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will
cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10
But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became
a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now, we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know
in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

His love
We have the honor of receiving this character directly from the author of Unconditional Love. Unconditional
meaning there is nothing we can do to repay Him for His sacrifice, there is nothing we can do to earn His love, and
there is nothing we can do to lose His love. Ergo, by its very definition (not dependent upon what we do or do not
do), His love is unconditional.

God's heart toward us is pure. He craves to be in a relationship with us. He always has our best interest in mind.
Even in situations where we would have otherwise been unsure of the impossible becoming a reality, He rushes in to
show off. His love for us is wild – in the best way. His love for us is not timid, it does not hesitate, it is never shy.
His love for us is unreserved. His love for us is incapable of ending, regardless of what we do, He stops at nothing to
protect us, to provide for us, to run after us when we stray away. His love for us is unrestrainable, no amount of
strength can overcome it. He will stop at nothing to heal a broken soul. He has ransomed us; from ourselves, from
sin. He crushes every fear and every lie and replaces it with truth. His love is never ashamed of us, for we are His
craftsmanship. His love is not fractured or anxious; it is peace-filled. His love for us is not restless but instead
embodies a recklessness so powerful no amount of shame or condemnation can triumph over it. We are under His
constant protection, His 24-hour surveillance. His love is not passive or shy, but uncontrollable. He can't help but
delight in us. No spirit, no power, no person, can break that. He will forever delight in us. His love is not selfish but
embodies the very definition of selflessness. His love is always sure, is always present. He is our perfect example of
how to love. Strive to mirror His heart and His ways. We need to fill our communities with people who know how
to love well.

__________

Before we get into the intellect of how we accomplish who we are meant to be, we need to establish one more strong
foundation: a true understanding of hope. We live in a world where our hope will always be attacked, but we must
be intentional about not letting go of our expectation for good. After all, to hope for something is to expect
something good to happen at any moment. This keeps our spirit uplifted and joy in our heart. From there, we have
the required energy for the process and — the progress.

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