Paul describes love: 'Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.' This is the definition everyone quotes at weddings. But it's more than romantic love.
I'm a marriage counselor, and I wish every couple heard this verse before they got married. Not as romantic ideal but as practical instruction. Love is patient means I don't snap at you when I'm tired. Love doesn't envy means I'm happy when you succeed. It's the opposite of how we're naturally wired toward possession and comparison.
But this isn't just about marriage. Paul is describing how Jesus loves us. How the church should function. How we should treat enemies. It's radically countercultural. We're wired for competition, jealousy, self-protection. Paul is describing a fundamentally different orientation: toward the good of others.
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