“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

What is love? First Corinthians chapter 13 gives a simple answer. Love is patient and kind. On the flip side, love is not proud, self-seeking, or easily angered.

But love isn’t just a noun. Love is a verb. It acts. Love rejoices with the truth, protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres. Conversely, love does not envy, boast, or keep a record of wrongs.

A breathtaking love

Understanding love is the easy part of these verses. The tough part is realizing that God wants you to have a 1 Corinthians chapter 13 love all the time. That is God’s standard.

So how do you measure up? Try this: Replace the word love with your name. Here’s my example: “Evan is patient, Evan is kind. Evan does not envy, he does not boast, he is not proud . . .” Ouch. My love falls embarrassingly short. At my very best, I might be some of those things some of the time, but I am definitely not all those things all the time. I don’t love the way God wants me to. And neither do you.

But Jesus does. See? “Jesus is patient, Jesus is kind. Jesus does not envy, he does not boast, he is not proud . . .” Jesus measures up perfectly. He perfectly loves all people—all the time. That means he loves you perfectly—all the time. He loves you even when you are impatient and unkind. He loves you even when you envy, boast, or are proud. He loves you even when you seem unlovable. He loves you in a way that is amazing. Breathtaking. Beautiful.

Simple acts of love

And now Jesus says, “Love others like that.” Impossible? Hardly. These verses don’t talk about dramatic acts of love. They talk about love showing itself in small, everyday ways. Be patient. Be kind. That’s love.

A quick story: This summer I tore my pectoral tendon while bench-pressing at the gym. I felt it rip. I heard it tear. It hurt. After weeks of pain and discomfort, I had surgery to repair the tendon. As I write, I am ten days post-surgery, typing one-handed. I’ll spend another month in an arm sling with weeks of physical therapy to follow. I’m not happy about it.

But in a weird way, I am happy about it. Because looking back, I got to see how people showed love in small, everyday ways. Love is the guy who helped lift the bar off my chest after I got hurt. Love is the kind nurse who found room in a doctor’s full schedule when I was in a lot of pain. Love is my friend’s text: “I’m praying for you.” Love is my family checking on me throughout this injury and recovery. Love is my wife helping me with even the simple tasks that I couldn’t easily do with one arm, like putting toothpaste on my toothbrush.

Love doesn’t have to be something big. Love can be something small. Love can be putting toothpaste on a toothbrush.

Love like that. Love like Jesus.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank you for loving me as only you can. Help me love like you. Amen.

Author: Evan Chartrand
Volume 112, Number 11
Issue: November 2025