Thoughts on Romans 12; Genuine Love

The word love has been used for so many things that it can be hard to realize just how much weight the word really holds. But I think that these verses of 1 Corinthians 13 will help remind us:

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

 That looks like an abbreviated version of the list of virtues in Romans 12... because, it is. Romans 12 talks of the way a heart surrendered to the Lord will show obvious qualities outwardly in the way we live, and love is the very virtue from which all others flow. It was love that caused Christ to die for us. It is love for Him that causes us to want to obey His commandments. And that love spills over into all the other areas of our life. Through Christ's love -the only genuine love- flowing through us, we can forgive those who wrong us. We can serve others, we can be compassionate.

One of my favorite examples of love is Boaz' care for Ruth. He loved her enough to tell her, "I'm going to make sure that you get the very best God has for you. And if that doesn't involve me in the big picture, than I will  step back for your sake."

Love is putting others first. Just as Christ did when He said, "Not my will, but thine be done", and took the road to Calvary to satisfy God's righteous decree for the ransom for our sins.