The message for the devotional for today is two very important characteristics of love: patience and kindness. Where these two characteristics are missing, there is clearly the absence of love. Today’s devotional has important lessons to pick to understand the right expression of love.

February 2 Devotional for Today

TOPIC: Love is patient, Love is kind

VERSE: “Love is patient, love is kind…” – 1 Corinthians 13:4 (NIV)

Message:

Love is a huge theme in our lives today and it is evident from the many ways we talk about it, try to express it, and demand it. You see while we want to think of love as a feeling, it is actually more than that. Love is not a feeling and it may be a complete deviation from what you already know about love.

In the anchor scripture, we see two characteristics of love – patience and kindness.

This shows that when someone comes to us to say they love us, we should be able to see these two – patience and kindness. What patience means is not acting differently because of changes we didn’t expect or never imagined. It is saying that you are still going to treat the other person the way you have always done even when they act like they are undeserving.

I remember when I was trying to woo my wife. She made it difficult to do so and she even admits it. But you know what? I knew that if I truly loved her, I would be patient and wait for her to turn around. This is clearly applicable everywhere love is mentioned.

You cannot truly love someone or claim you love them if your patience has not been tested. We are humans and when you consider how we behave sometimes, you wonder if some people are even sensible at all or if they have a functioning brain.

The truth is, there is no perfect person and people will always test our patience. Love is patient.

Kindness on the other hand is about putting others care and welfare ahead of ours. It is actively working to ensure that the other person is supported, their well-being and all that concerns them.

In my opinion, there are hardly kind people today. People who hate to put other people before them. Funny how today we have pushed the idea that we should place ourselves first. Motivational speakers tell us to love ourselves and all those self-love gimmicks. Not that I am against them, I am showing you a biblically established pattern: If you love someone, you are going to be kind towards them.

Action for the Day:

Look inward and ask yourself, have you treated the people you love with the patience and kindness that proves you love them? Make a decision today to imbibe patience and kindness in your conduct with people around you and those you meet.

READ: Yesterday’s devotional on Let Us Love One Another.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, thank You for showing me how to love correctly. I ask that you help me to be patient and kind to people from now on. I want to live and love like you and I ask that you teach my heart to always be kind and patient and help me to become a true ambassador of your love.