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In Ecclesiastes 3:11, we read that God makes everything beautiful in its time. It is comforting to know that nothing is wasted in God's economy, but all of it will be used for our good and His glory. You're invited to join us for poignant conversations and compelling interviews centered on believing for His beauty in every season.
Everything Made Beautiful (01:00)
Well, hey everybody, welcome back to everything made beautiful. I apologize in advance if I sound a little under the weather. I got hit pretty hard with the flu and it's hanging on a little in my sinuses and I can hear it. So hopefully it is not too distracting for you, but I got to tell you, I've been having some conversations about the podcast and I'm really excited about some things that are coming up when this series concludes. So I hope you'll hang with me for that.
But speaking of this series, First Corinthians 13 is in my face recently in a way that's a tad uncomfortable. You wouldn't think something like the subject of love would have quite so many sharp edges. But today we're diving into part two of our series, The Better Way. And if you caught last week's episode, then you already know Paul is coming in hot with some hard truths about love.
And if you missed it, well, go back and listen because that one was a doozy. And today we're getting personal. We're not just talking about love as a theory, but as a practice. And to be clear, I'm not doing podcast episodes on love because I've got it figured out. Even with following my own advice and asking that question from Andy Stanley from last week, what does love require of me? I was faced with opportunities this week to disregard it completely.
The problem with Paul's brand of love here, which frankly is Jesus brand, is that it's almost always the polar opposite of my human gut responses. Left to myself, love would look a lot more like convenience. I'd love people when they were easy to love, when they agreed with me, when they made my life more comfortable. But that's not the love Paul is calling us to. Biblical love is counter-cultural.
It goes against our instincts. It asks us to stay patient when we want to react, to serve when we'd rather be noticed, to forgive when holding a grudge would feel so much more satisfying. This kind of love stretches us, refines us, and makes us confront the parts of ourselves that we'd rather not deal with. And yet, it's the only love that truly reflects Jesus as a lifestyle.
as defining mark of who we are as followers of Jesus. And let me warn you upfront, this passage isn't just a sweet little wedding reading. No, this is gonna mess with us because real biblical love, it's tough, it's costly, and if we're doing it right, it will stretch us beyond what we think we can handle. So let's jump right into our scripture for today. Here's what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13.
verses four through eight. Love is patient and kind. Love does not envy or boast. It is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way. 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. All right, let's pause right here because if we're honest, most of us could stop at the first two words and already feel convicted. Love is patient. Yeah, okay, Lord, we get it. Moving on. But no, we're going to sit in this because each of these descriptions of love is a gut check. They call us to something deeper, something bigger than ourselves. So let's break it down.
Patience and kindness are the first things Paul lists. And I don't think that's a coincidence. Let's be real, these are not our natural defaults. We live in a culture that runs on instant gratification and cancel culture. If someone annoys us, we roll our eyes. If they inconvenience us, we cut them off. But biblical love says, slow down, breathe, bear with one another.
Patience is love refusing to rush the process. The Greek word here for patience is macrothemia, which means long suffering or steadfastness under provocation. And let's be honest, this is where it gets real. It's one thing to be patient when nothing is pressing against you, but patience under provocation, that is next level obedience.
It's when someone cuts us off in traffic and we want to react. It's when our coworker takes credit for our work and everything in us wants to set the record straight. It's when a loved one betrays our trust and patience feels like the least natural of all responses. And yet this is exactly where Paul and Jesus call us to patience. Look at Jesus on the cross as he was taunted, mocked and ridiculed.
He didn't retaliate. When the soldiers gambled for his clothes and the crowds hurled insults, prayed, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. That's patience under provocation. That's love choosing endurance over reaction. And if Jesus, the perfect son of God, could show that kind of restraint in the face of unthinkable cruelty, then surely by his spirit,
we can learn to practice patience in our everyday conflicts and frustrations. This isn't just waiting in line without tapping your foot. This is the kind of patience that endures difficulty without lashing out. It's the kind of patience that allows people the space to grow, to change, and to fail without condemnation. This is the patience God shows toward us. The patience that holds back wrath, extends mercy,
and gives us time to become who he is shaping us to be. know, love is patient. I'd like to think I'm a really patient person until it comes to that traffic analogy that I used. I can't tell you how many times I've been on my way to church to give the message. And I've been meditating in scripture and marinating in what I was going to say. And I cannot tell you how
quickly something can happen in traffic and I can snap. So I guess I'm not really as patient as biblically patient as I'd like to think that I am. I need discipline to become a patient person. Kindness is love choosing to be generous even when it's inconvenient. Together
Patience and kindness remind us that love isn't just about what we feel for someone. It's about how we treat them. And Jesus, he embodied this perfectly, of course. Just think about how patient he was with his disciples. These guys were constantly missing the point, arguing about who was the greatest, and falling asleep when they were supposed to be praying. And yet, Jesus never lost his temper with them. He corrected them.
but he never rejected them. That's what love does. It makes space for people to grow. And these days, patience and especially kindness in this way can seem suspect. When someone is kind beyond expectation, we start wondering, what is the angle here? What do they want from me? We've been conditioned to believe that kindness must be transactional, that there's always a hidden agenda. And unfortunately,
In a world where manipulation and self-serving actions masquerade as generosity, it's easy to be cynical. But biblical kindness isn't about getting something in return. It's not artificial, and it's not a tool for control. Instead, it's an overflow of God's love in us, a reflection of the way he has been outrageously kind to us. It's the kind of kindness that surprises people because it expects nothing back.
And when we practice this kind of kindness without strings attached, without ulterior motives, it forces people to wrestle with the question, why would they love me like that? And the answer should always point back to Jesus. So this begs the question, who in your life is testing your patience right now? And are you responding with the kind of love that Jesus
shows to you. Are you able to be patient and kind? But now, Paul moves from what love is to what love isn't. And let's just go ahead and rip the band-aid off. Love does not envy. Love does not boast. Love is not arrogant. Translation. Love isn't competitive. It doesn't compare. And it doesn't need to prove itself.
Love isn't competitive because it's not trying to win, it's trying to serve. When we see someone else thriving, biblical love doesn't feel threatened by that. It doesn't try to outdo others in achievement, status, or recognition. Competition in relationships breeds insecurity, but love is secure in an abundance mindset from the Lord.
When we truly believe that God has a plan and purpose for each of us, we can celebrate others without feeling like we're losing something for ourselves. Love doesn't compare because it's rooted in identity, not insecurity. We live in a world where comparison is a daily struggle, scrolling through social media, seeing someone else's highlight reel, and feeling like we come up short.
But love refuses to measure itself against others because it knows that worth isn't found in external validation. Love says, I don't need to be them because God has called me to be me. And love doesn't need to prove itself because it's not about image, it's about authenticity. And yet the enemy of our souls is constantly luring us away from this truth.
He whispers the same lie he told Eve in the garden in Genesis 3, God is holding out on you. He stirs discontentment in our hearts, making us believe that if we don't grasp for attention, status, or validation, we'll somehow be left behind. He fuels insecurity by making us feel unseen, unappreciated, and undervalued, tempting us to measure our worth by how others perceive us rather than by who God says we are.
But here's the truth. When we believe that God is holding out on us, we begin to act out of self-preservation rather than love. We compare, compete, and posture because we think we have to secure our place in the world. But love reminds us that we don't have to fight for worth. We already have it in Christ. Love is content because it trusts that God is faithful.
It doesn't scramble for validation because it rests in the truth that God sees us, knows us, and provides exactly what we need. The enemy wants us to live in fear and scarcity, but biblical love flows from a heart that believes in the abundance of God's grace. We often feel the need to showcase our good deeds to make sure people know just how much we're doing. But love doesn't need an audience. It's content in serving quietly.
in doing the right thing when no one is watching. Jesus repeatedly warned against performative righteousness. Think about Matthew six, reminding us that love is meant to flow from the heart, not from a desire to be seen. Y'all, this is hard, but love, real love, is secure. It's not threatened by someone else's success because it's rooted in a God who is infinitely good and who is always enough.
This is why Jesus flipped the script on greatness. He said, whoever wants to be first must be last and whoever wants to be great must be a servant. Love doesn't chase status, it serves. It lays down pride. It makes room for others. It's caused me to ask myself a convicting question that I'll ask you today. Do you celebrate others genuinely?
Or do you secretly hope they don't outshine you? This next one about love, it does not insist on its own way. Have you ever been in a disagreement where you were so sure you were right and you just needed the other person to see the light? Yeah, we all have. But love isn't about winning arguments.
It's about valuing relationships over being right. And that is so hard because everything in us wants to fight for our position to make sure the other person knows exactly why they're wrong. But insisting on our own way can slowly erode relationships. It turns discussions into battles, loved ones into opponents and connection into division. Biblical love, the way Paul describes it,
is willing to release the need to control, to dominate, or to demand agreement. It doesn't mean we abandon truth, hear me clearly, but it means we approach people with humility instead of hostility. Love says, I don't have to manipulate or pressure you into my way of thinking. I can trust God to work in your heart just as he's working in mine. This doesn't mean we let go of convictions, but it does mean we let go of the
pride that insists we are always right. Love allows for disagreement without destruction, for differences without division. And when we stop insisting on our own way, we make room for something greater, genuine understanding, deeper relationships, and the kind of unity that reflects Christ. But let's take this a step further. What about when you've been wronged?
What about when the other person is actually in the wrong and you have every right to stand your ground? Well, love still calls us to something higher. I'm sorry to be the bearer of this news. It's hard for me. Love doesn't mean ignoring injustice, but it does mean giving up the need to be right at all costs. It means surrendering our right to retaliation, choosing grace,
instead of grudges. Again, Jesus modeled this perfectly for us. When he was falsely accused, mocked, and beaten, he could have defended himself and with it all the power of heaven behind him. Instead, he remained silent before his accusers. Isaiah 53-7 tells us this. He wasn't silent because they were right.
but because love was more important than proving them wrong. Love let him endure the cross when justice would have let him call down angels. When we choose to love like this, it's not weakness, it's strength. It's the ability to say, trust God more than I trust my own need for vindication. When we do that,
We are actually reflecting the heart of Christ to the world. Jesus had every right to demand his way, but instead Philippians two tells us that he humbled himself. He took on the nature of a servant. He lowered himself even when he had every right to assert himself. That's the better way. That is the way of love. So here's our challenge.
The next time you're in a conflict, pause and ask yourself, am I trying to prove a point or am I trying to love this person well? Because those aren't always the same thing. And if you've been wronged by someone and it's unresolved, ask yourself, am I clinging to my right to be right? Friends, this passage isn't here to make us feel warm and fuzzy, though I wish it were. It's here to change us.
to transform the way we love our spouses, our friends, our coworkers, and yes, even that person who's been difficult, who's hurt us or who drives us crazy. So here's your homework. Pick one of these descriptions of love that hit you the hardest today and ask God to provide you with ways to actually live it out this week. Because love isn't just what we say we believe, it's what we actually do with what we say we believe.
Next week we're diving into the endurance of love to wrap up this series. What does it mean that love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things? We're going to go there, so don't miss it. Until then, let's be people who don't just talk about love, let's live it, and let's keep our eyes open for all the ways God is making everything beautiful, including us. I'll see you next week.