Author: mary

Love is not rude; however. Many marriages end because of the lack of respect that people have for each other. We see the same lack of respect in the workplace, politics, sports, and other places, so why would we expect marriages and relationships to be any different. For any relationship to work, there has to be a sense of respect (the opposite of being rude). It all depends on where we look to for our examples. If we look to society, the entertainment industry, politicians, then we will never see a picture of humility and respect. We must instead look to the Bible for examples of how to live with love and respect.

Look at the life of Mary and Joseph. Mary was a young virgin who was pregnant all of a sudden. I am sure the world probably looked at her with disgust as they only saw a young pregnant girl. Joseph saw more, especially after he was visited by an angel of the Lord. He treated Mary with love and respect, putting her needs above his own. Think about your own relationship for a minute, whether that be marriage, a friendship, or even a relationship you have with a family member. Does your love always show humility, or is it rude in the way you talk and act toward others?

Strive to live your life in such a way that loves and respects the lives of others. Show your neighbor or anyone you encounter respect. Show your family and friends your love and respect. Most of all, show your spouse how much love you have for him or her by respecting who they are. We can show the love of Christ with our words and actions when we eliminate rude talk out of our lives.

Dictionary.com defines the word proud as “having, proceeding from, or showing a high opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, or superiority.” This definition of pride is opposite of what the Bible says about being proud. Proverbs 16:18 says that, “pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.” In other words, pride leads to the destruction of oneself, families, friendships, and other relationships. Pride only looks out for one’s own interest and not the interests of others.

Love is the opposite of pride. It looks to the interests of others and puts them first. It is humility in action. Love says, “I will deny myself and my interests and put you first.” This is exactly what Jesus did when He went to the cross. He denied Himself and put humanity first. He looked out for our interests instead of His own. He looked to build us up instead of tearing us down. Christ was the very picture of love and humility. However, our enemy, the devil, seeks to kill, steal, and destroy. He delights in nothing more than our destruction, and he uses pride to do it. So when we put others first, we are accomplishing the work that Jesus set out to do.

Pride tears apart everything we build as Christians. No matter how invested we are in a relationship, pride can tear it apart. However, love is the opposite of pride. It builds up and encourages. It puts others first and seeks the good of others. Pray and ask God to keep you grounded so you can build up your relationships.

Have you ever seen someone live with a jealous heart? Maybe you have felt jealousy creep up inside you. Jealousy is not a feeling from the Lord; however, God created us as beings with feelings. We were made to love and feel deeply. So how do you love without feeling jealous.

Living a life of love without jealousy can be difficult. As a society, we are constantly comparing ourselves to those around us. We need a bigger house like others, the newest car, a life of luxury to keep up with our peers. God never intended for us to compare ourselves with those around us, but instead compare ourselves to ourselves. What does this mean? We should never want to live a stagnant life where we are satisfied, but instead, we should push ourselves to be more, to do more than we’ve ever done. Push yourself to grow in your walk with God. Compare yourself to where you were at when you first came to know Him. Have you grown? If not, then decide what you need to do to grow closer to Him. Next, instead of seeing people for the things they have or don’t have, see them for who they are: made in the image of God. This will change your perspective and help you pray for them in a new way. If they don’t know God, then you need to pray for their heart instead of desiring the things they have.

You can’t take things with you to the grave. The only thing that matters in this life is what you invest in. If you live your life always wanting what others have, you will live an empty life. However, if you love others and live your life investing in heavenly things, you will live a fulfilled life.

Love is kind. Anyone who does not love with kindness, is not really loving. We see many examples in our world today of the opposite of kindness: hatred, discord, maliciousness. In fact, the mainstream media LOVES to report about those things. Every once in a while the sprinkle in kindness story.

You may have heard the phrase, kindness makes the world go round. There is some truth to this phrase. Kind acts inspire and motivate people. Kindness really can be contagious. However, kindness is a product of love, God’s love. You can’t have kindness without it. It is the direct result of living as God’s love: loving your family, your friends, your neighbor, and even your enemies. Kindness is the proof that God is real. When nonbelievers look at your life, your kind acts should point them to Jesus.

Is your life and kindness pointing others to Jesus? Or is it a contradiction to the hope that lives inside of you? Love is kind and kindness is love. We show kindness because of the kindness God gave us when He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross. Let your life radiate with the kindness God has bestowed in your life.

How does the world define love? Really think about that for a moment- the way love is portrayed in the movies, TV shows, and just in Hollywood itself. You always hear about hot, new relationships or divorces, but you rarely hear about the ones that stand the test of time. The ones that are built on more than attraction and similarities. The world defines love as something that comes and goes, not something that lasts and endures. 1 Corinthians 13 is the Bible’s definition of what love really is and it all begins with these words: “love is patient.”

Love is patient. The King James version of the Bible says that “charity suffereth long.” That puts patience in a whole new perspective, doesn’t it? Love is not something that can be tossed aside, but true, biblical love perseveres through the hardest times. It “suffers” long. Does that mean it is miserable? By all means, no! It waits. Psalm 27:14 says to wait patiently for the Lord. We wait on the Lord; we wait on Him to act and to move in our lives. All the while, we wait in His love and grace. That is a picture of how we should love. We wait, but all the while we wait in unconditional love. That is how we should love as parents with our children, as spouses in our marriages, and how we should love the world.

We would be nothing if God hadn’t waited for us to choose Him and His love. Why not wait on others? Wait with kindness, wait with grace, and most of all, wait in love.