08 21 07 Love is…….Personal
“Love suffers long and is kind…..” (1 Corinthians 13:4 NKJV)

In his commentary on 1 Corinthians 13:4, Matthew Henry says of the term longsuffering:
It can endure evil, injury, and provocation, without being filled with resentment, indignation, or revenge. It makes the mind firm, gives it power over the angry passions, and furnishes it with a persevering patience that shall rather wait and wish for the reformation of a brother than fly out in resentment of his conduct. It will put up with many slights and neglects from the person it loves, and wait long to see the kindly effects of such patience on him.

I’m going to go at this verse a little bit differently than most scholars would; that’s because I’m not a scholar! I’m just a soldier in a small infantry on this side of heaven. But I’m fightin’ in my own small way nonetheless, along with my wife and family.

Paul addresses the Corinthian church which had lost its first love much like that of Ephesus. The gifts we possess are to help others and to build up the church. We are not to do anything for selfish gain or to take advantage of others, but to love others as we want to be loved. It’s the me third mentality that makes the church a real family and makes us such a peculiar people.
But hold on: to love others as we love ourselves, we must first love ourselves! Love is personal. God so loved me that He sent Jesus down among man to die for me! I have a personal relationship with Christ and He has one with me as well. It’s one-on-one before it is shared with others. It has to be! Many Christians live a defeated and ineffective life because they have not been patient with themselves, kind to themselves, and constantly look at others and “wish I were more like them.”

If God made me in His image and has plans for me to prosper; if He will never leave me nor forsake me and holds me in the palm of His hand; if He so loves me……then I need to love myself with that kind of love before I can properly love and serve others. I hope you understand my thoughts here.

It’s not selfish to love ourselves! In fact, it is healthy! Love is personal! As long as I know the Creator of the world loves me and has plans for me, I shall never feel worthless, useless, or unloved. I have worth and if I allow God to do so, am useful for His services.

So of all the things love is, here are the two most beneficial definitions I can come up with:

Love is God so therefore, God is love and
Love is PERSONAL!