Jan 30 2009
God is Love
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
You are probably familiar with the above passage found in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. There are several accounts of Jesus teaching the importanct of love. We are to love our neighbour as we love ourselves. That can be hard. Sometimes our neighbours are loud or rude or insulting or smelly. But as Christians we remind ourselves of God’s word and try to find the good qualities in the people around us.
But what does the above passage say about God’s qualities? After all, God is love, right? Now, scroll up and read the Scripture again. This time, replace all the times the word “love” appears with the word “God.”
God is patient. You bet! Take a look in any newspaper or on any news broadcast. So many people are lost, yet God is waiting for us to come to Him.
God is kind. He sent His son to die for us, because He didn’t want us to suffer through eternity without Him. He cares about our well-being, both now and later.
God does not envy. This is where we need to be careful. Envy and jealousy are not the same. I’m sure that the first thought to come to mind for some people was “doesn’t the Bible say God is a jealous God?”
The difference between envy and jealousy is that envy is felt when one wants something that belongs to someone else; jealousy is felt when one wants something that is theirs. We belong to God, and he is jealous when it comes to sharing us. He doesn’t want to share us with wordly things because the world pulls us away from Him.
God is not rude, or self-seeking, He does not boast, He is not proud….I could go on about what “God is love” means but for the sake of time and space will let you investigate further on your own. God loves us because He IS love, not because He has to. You can’t do anything to make Him love you any less. No matter how much we mess up, God will always be there waiting for us to turn to Him once again.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. “ John 3:16
God bless!
Interesting.
i heard about the difference between jealousy and envy before in church, but it somehow slipped off my mind. reading this post is a great way to refresh my memory about it.