1 Corinthians 13:4 - Love is Patient & Kind.

1Co.13:4; Love is Patient & Kind.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not
boast, it is not proud. 1 Cor 13:4 (NIV)

Love; The Greek for this word indicates a selfless concern for
the welfare of others that is not called forth by any quality of
lovableness in the person loved, but is the product of a will to love in
obedience to God's command. It is like Christ's love manifested on the
cross. [NIV SB]

"Love," the higher type of love, which recognizes something of
value in the person or object that is loved; love that is based on
principle, not on emotion; love that grows out of respect for the admirable
qualities of its object. This love is that which is seen between the
Father and Jesus (see John 15:10; 17:26); it is the redeeming love of
the Godhead for lost humanity (see John 15:9; 1 John 3:1; 4:9, 16);
it is the special quality demonstrated in the dealings of
Christians with one another (see John 13:34, 35; 15:12-14); it is used to
signify the believer's relation to God (see 1 John 2:5; 4:12; 5:3). Love
for God is shown by conformity with His will; this is proof of love
(see John 2:4, 5). . . . .This "love" (agape) must not be confused
with that which is sometimes called love, a quality composed largely
of feeling and emotion that has the center in self and the desires
of self. Agape centers the interest and concern in others and
leads to appropriate action. [SDA Commentary]

Our society confuses love and lust. Unlike lust, God's kind of
love is directed outward toward others, not inward toward ourselves.
It is utterly unselfish. This kind of love goes against our natural
inclinations. It is possible to practice this love only if God helps us set
aside our own desires and instincts, so that we can give love while
expecting nothing in return. Thus the more we become like Christ, the more
love we will show to others. [Life Application SB]

It is impossible to know who and what God is but not exercise
His special love to others. This is the proof of a person's walk
with God.  Love, in this passage, is absolutely not human.  The human
heart is a complete stranger to the kind of love described here. The
definition for God's agape love can be found in John 3:16, it is
self-sacrificial in nature; in I Corinthians 13, agape love is
patient, kind, not
jealous, doesn't brag, isn't arrogant, doesn't act unbecomingly, doesn't
seek its own, isn't provoked, doesn't take into account a wrong
suffered, doesn't rejoice in unrighteousness but in truth, bears all
things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things and
never, never fails. And last, agape love has Almighty God as its
source.  Love is not God, God is love. We cannot exercise this love
without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. If you don't see it
in your life, ask God for it today and be prepared for a radical
change in your life.  [In His Time; Walk with Wisdom]

Oil of Kindness
I recall reading some years ago in a newspaper article about an
old man who carried a small can of "3-In-One Oil" with him wherever
he went.  When he passed through a door that squeaked he squirted a
little oil on the hinges.  If a gate was hard to open, he oiled the
latch ... and thus he passed through life lubricating all the
squeaking places, making live more pleasant for those who came after him
.. an unusual procedure, yet he derived a great deal of pleasure in
doing it.
We see others doing similar deeds like this by planting
flowers/shrubs along the roadway or picking up litter, planting trees in
unsightly places or like the good neighbor this Christmas who decorated a
tree along the rail road to enhance the area with a little beauty.
In our lives, there are many opportunities for us to perhaps
spread a little oil of kindness where it will make a big difference in
a small way.  There's no telling how many lives we may keep from
rusting and squeaking, how many gates to happiness we may oil that will
make a life a little easier.  Pastor Fate Thomas