Love One Another

Let us love one another 1 John (4:7).

Love is slow to suspect but quick to trust; slow to condemn but quick to justify; slow to offend but quick to defend; slow to expose but quick to shield; slow to reprimand but quick to empathies; slow to belittle but quick to appreciate; slow to demand but quick to give; slow to provoke but quick to help; slow to resent but quick to forgive. Jerry Cook talks about a church where the people make the following pledge to each other: 'I'll never knowingly say or do anything to hurt you. I'll always, in every circumstance, seek to help and support you. If you're down and I can lift you, I'll do that. If you need something and I have it, I'll share it with you. If I need to, I'll give it to you. No matter what I find out about you, no matter what happens in the future-either good or bad-my commitment to you will never change. And there's nothing you can do about it.' 1 Corinthians (13:7) says love: 'Believes all things.' When someone you care about is called into question, love says, 'That's not the kind of person they are; that's not what they meant.' 'Hopes all things.' Love sees people not just as they are, but as they can be through God's grace. And if you let Him, God will download that kind of love into your heart. 'Endures all things.' The word 'endure' is a military term. It means driving a stake into the ground. It's like saying, 'I'll stand my ground in loving you.' Today, take the love that God has given to you, and give it to others.