Love Is Patient, Love Is…What?

We all know that we should love our neighbor as ourselves. We all know that God is love. We also all know that love is patient, and love is kind. That’s usually where we stop reciting this Scripture. If we believe that loving God and your neighbor are the two most important commandments, we should know how to define love.

What does the Bible define love as? We can get no better answer than 1 Corinthians 13:4-8… the WHOLE thing.

In 1 Corinthians, Paul says “Love is patient; love is kind.” This part feels the most familiar to us. To love someone, we must exercise patience with them and allow them to make mistakes. We need to give them time to process, heal, or figure life out. We must treat them with kindness and gentleness.

Now, we get into the part that we don’t always recite. Paul says next “It (love) does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.” Love does not covet someone’s accomplishments or need to boast about its own. If we love someone, we show humility and desire to build them up.

Love also embodies selflessness. Paul’s next advice about love states that “It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” If we truly love someone, we must do so completely selflessly. Seek their needs instead of our own. Don’t be so hot tempered that little things make us angry. Notice, however, that God did not say that love doesn’t have a temper. After all, God displays anger with us sometimes. When the people we love wrong us, God allows us righteous anger. However, we shouldn’t let small, unimportant things make us blow up. If someone we love wrongs us, we shouldn’t keep track of it and steep in bitterness. Forgive them, like God would.

We owe the truth to those we love. “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.” Love loves goodness. Let us encourage those we love in their faith and increase our relationship with honesty. Do the right thing, whether by ourselves or with those we love. Love does the right thing.

So far, we talked about what love does NOT do. God’s description of love ends with what love ALWAYS does: “It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” If we love someone, we make sure they are safe, believe their word, believe in them, and love them through thick and thin.

Now, we really know why God is love. He loves goodness. He never gives up on us. He is selfless and kind. Using these verses, we can model God’s love every day.

Written by Gracie

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The Power of Words

How often do we really stop to consider the power that a single word holds? Do we even realize how much words contribute to the world? Words surround us. They permeate every aspect of our daily lives, almost without notice. As a student who chose both my major and my minor based on how much I want to deal with language in my life, words fill my days constantly. I think that the Lord gave His children a wonderful gift when He invented language, but I also think we need reminders of an even more important fact. Don’t forget that Jesus stands out as the ultimate Word.

 The Gospel of John begins by explaining this concept to its readers. John 1:1-5 states, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.” (NIV). What does this mean? It means that before the creation of, well, everything, the Word existed, and through the Word creation came to fruition. And it makes sense. Words create, don’t they? Even as I sit writing this, I create. The Word of God spoke creation into existence. Did God not speak when He created everything? “Let there be light,” He said, and light shone forth on earth for the very first time. The Lord needed only to speak a word, and creation came to fruition. The Word of God remains powerful.

Not only do words hold great power, they also hold great light. Once again, John one proves this point, telling readers that in the Lord “was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.” His Word remained, and still remains, good, steadfast, and true, bringing goodness to all it touches. And when the time came, the Word went a step further, coming down to dwell among humanity and die for every sin. The Word of God saved us from ourselves. What an amazing gift!

While the Word of God did create and save all of humanity, it also provides the world with another precious gift: the Scriptures. The Bible—words and messages breathed out by God—offers aid, reassurance, and so much more to those willing to look in its pages. The Savior of the world, the most powerful being of all time, breathed out His words to those willing to read them, and offered them to the world. My pastor often says to his congregation, “Do you want to hear the voice of God? Read the Bible out loud.” The Bible consists of messages from the Lord Himself, and these words guide us through every aspect of our lives, if we let them. How remarkable!

Understanding all of this really puts the idea of language into perspective. God used language to speak into existence His creation, and his Word became human flesh and lived among the sinners who turned from Him. His Word—Jesus—died a criminal’s death so that those same sinners might live and rose again to one day come back and rule victorious over all things. He provides us with every opportunity to read His words and hear His voice, and He also provides us with ways to use those words to advance His kingdom. How will you spread His word to those who need it?

Written by Caroline

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The Fruit of the Spirit

Growing up in church I heard about the fruit of the Spirit many times, though it takes some deep diving to know what it means to us. In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul mentions the topic, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and self-control.” I decided to investigate fruit being singular rather than plural and the reason behind the order of the list.

When referring to the fruit of the Spirit, it seems confusing that we are given a list when fruit is singular. Looking at the list, it contains qualities that Christians should display to show the love of Christ. The different aspects given go together to make one fruit.

When a fruit is picked the whole fruit is collected, not just the seed or stem. So, when seeing the fruit of the Spirit, all the aspects show the separate parts.

In John 15:8, Jesus says: “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” Further pointing to bearing the fruit as a whole and not the individual parts.

Looking at the different parts make me think of the reason behind their ordering. It is important that love comes first on the list as it is the root of what Christ stands for. Love anchors the other aspects as they demonstrate love in action. 1 Corinthians 13:4 displays this, “Love is patient, love is kind…,” showing that other parts of the Bible mention the fruit. Finding my own thoughts elsewhere in the Bible solidifies my point of love being listed first as it is the root of the aspects and of Christ.

Therefore, love groups together aspects of the fruit of the Spirit and how Christians bear the fruit to show their discipleship. I find it exciting to take a deeper look at each different aspect of the fruit and see how they reflect Christ.

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Written by Belle

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What Writing Means to Me

As a child, I loved to write. I kept journals and diaries and enjoyed letting my imagination run wild through creating stories. However, my desire to express myself in written form dwindled over the years, and that seems the case for many people as they age. Why is that? Why do children lose their inspiration to write after they leave elementary school, and why is writing considered a path of passion rather than a serious career? Writing is much more accessible than people might believe, and because of its negative reputation, many people fail to consider themselves writers or see the beauty writing encompasses. Writing integrates far too much into every facet of life to neglect to consider each person a writer. Defining writing merely as a way to express oneself fails to describe all it comprises. To me, writing represents a journey, a catalyst of change, and a foundational concept for students.

Writing soars beyond a method of creating research papers or scribbling in a diary; it’s a journey that looks different for every writer. The writing process cultivates diversity as each individual takes a different approach. Some people write creatively, such as through a blog or journal. Others write to craft different worlds for readers to step into or to publish information that educates society. The uniqueness of each writer manifests in their writing process. That’s the beauty of writing: each person possesses the opportunity to modify their process to achieve their goal.

Writing serves as a catalyst of change. Impactful documents such as the Declaration of Independence and Emancipation Proclamation all take written form. Through writing, legislation implements laws that change the course of history, citizens claim their rights, and people proclaim justice and freedom. Some of the most powerful movements in history ignited because of writing. Author Harriet Beecher Stowe revolutionized the election of 1860 and attitudes towards slavery in her novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Thomas Paine’s Common Sense encouraged the American fight for independence and catalyzed the American Revolution. Countless authors provided insight to the world through their written perspectives on politics, culture, and societal travesties. One of the most influential documents in history, the Bible, takes form in writing. The breath of God touched paper through the hands of Spirit-led contributors.

People changed the world by placing their pen to paper, and this power manifests in those willing to claim the title of “writer.”

Writing holds great importance in education through its role as a foundational skill, and as an aspiring educator, conveying its significance helps serve students. Enhancing writing skills helps students develop as individuals and as mature communicators. Teachers hold the power to equip students to change the world through their writing and use it as a tool to grow as a life-long learner. Students use writing beyond the classroom to express their thoughts and convey their ideas. However, children seem to lose their motivation to write once they reach upper grades. This normally stems from increased research papers and academic writing. Personally, I started to lose interest in writing once I reached middle school. I once thought of writing as an activity that only eloquent poets and highly literate journalists participated in. I didn’t believe writing was in my league of achievement. However, since working in the Writing Center, I’ve realized my abilities as a writer and the accessibility of writing to anyone who puts a pen to paper. The approachability of writing should carry on into classrooms to show students the power within their reach.

Writing holds great potential to anyone willing to wield the mighty pen.

Writing exemplifies a unique journey, a stimulus of change, and a foundational skill for students. Every individual can claim the title of “writer,” and I encourage each person to do so.

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Written by Deneen

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