The Quest for Character Pt. 4 (final)

The Triumph of Love

“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”

~1 Corinthians 13:4-8

LOVE

“Without love, whatever we say is just so much noise. Without love, whatever other gifts we may have amount to nothing. Without love, all good works are without merit.”


...SUFFERS LONG

“Love’s longsuffering is expressed in a patient willingness to bear any inconvenience or sacrifice for the sake of our loved one without becoming upset or angry.”


…IS KIND

“…kindness is an active goodwill. It’s not merely a ‘feeling’ of generosity; it is a dynamic, sacrificial, unselfish liberality that actually gives of oneself to others.”


…DOES NOT ENVY

“…the jealousy of envy…is a selfish and sinful resentment when others are blessed. True love is delighted, never grudging, when the object of love receives blessing.”


…DOES NOT PARADE ITSELF

“…love is never ostentatious or vainglorious.”

“Authentic love is incompatible with a self-aggrandizing love for public recognition.”


…IS NOT PUFFED UP

“It is a picturesque, fitting description for a particularly sinister kind of arrogance or bigheadedness…true love is bighearted but never bigheaded.”


…DOES NOT BEHAVE RUDELY

“…the epitome of bad manners is a failure to show proper honor to others. This is sometimes a sin of omission, sometimes a sin of commission. Either way, it stems from a loveless fixation with oneself.”


…DOES NOT SEEK ITS OWN

“…selfless sacrifice and concern for the needs of others is the very essence of authentic love.”


…IS NOT PROVOKED

“Outbursts of anger can be like nuclear bombs; even if short and sudden, they can do tremendous damage. Such anger is rooted in a deficient love, and the conscious, deliberate cultivation of Christlike love is the only cure.”


…THINKS NO EVIL

“This has little to do with thinking about evil things in general. It’s about imputing evil motives to others and keeping a tally of wrongs suffered.”


…DOES NOT REJOICE IN INIQUITY

“Love finds no satisfaction in sin-whether our own sin or the sins of others. To rejoice in iniquity is to turn virtue and truth on their heads.”

“Often we hear people try to justify a sin like fornication by using ‘love’ as an excuse: ‘We just fell in love and couldn’t resist.’ That’s not authentic love. Real love does not rejoice in iniquity. The purity of love is one of the things that makes it the highest of virtues. Real love never delights in evil.”


…REJOICES IN THE TRUTH

“…here truth is a broad concept that embraces righteous thinking, holy living, the revealed truth of Scripture, and even Christ, who is the embodiment of truth.”


…BEARS ALL THINGS

“Although love does not countenance or rejoice in sin, love does make us eager to protect the sinner and uphold mercy and compassion.”


…BELIEVES ALL THINGS

“Love assumes the best motives. Love assumes innocence until guilt is proven. Love engenders trust.”


…HOPES ALL THINGS

“Even when love’s trust is shattered, love still hopes. If love’s faith is betrayed, it still clings to hope. Love refuses to see failure as final.”


…ENDURES ALL THINGS AND NEVER FAILS

“Love holds fast to its object. It withstands every storm and every type of opposition. It refuses to lose faith, falter in its perseverance, or stop hoping. Thus it never stops loving.”

“…love will stand as the only eternal virtue, because ‘Love never fails’.”