The Way of Love

“I pray that you… may have power…to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” – Ephesians 3:17-19 NIV

photo art: Raye Wortel

From the moment we get a serious notion about love, we look to live it out in a successful way. Whether it’s a relationship with a spouse, a child, a parent, or a friend, love is the stick we use to measure its success.

So how successful are your relationships? Are they thriving, or have they seen better days?

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 is the definition of successful love. It’s the way of love, and holds an amazing message we can’t see when we look at it through our own lens.

From our angle, the words are a keen reminder of how we don’t live up to love.

Love is patient. (usually gone before breakfast)

Love is kind. (only on good days)

It keeps no record of wrong. (I’m certain this is a typo)

But when we look at these verses through God’s lens, we begin to grasp the power Paul spoke about in Ephesians 3. We see love as promises we receive from the Lord. We drink them in, and they becomes part of us, and when we are filled to the full measure of God, then our outward love becomes a joy.

So let’s see what God promises about love. Below are the verses from 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. I’ve replaced the word love with the word God, for God is love.

“God is patient and kind. God does not envy or boast. God is not arrogant or rude. God does not insist on His own way. God is not irritable or resentful. God does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. God bears all things, God believes all things, God hopes all things, God endures all things. God never fails.”

Only when we believe in a love relationship between God and us, can we successfully love in our other relationships.

I encourage you to reread this passage often over the next few days as a Valentine’s gift to yourself. Claim these promises as your own, and soon the way of love will become clear in all other areas of your life.