1 Corinthians 13: Love is Patient and a Daily Decision of Transformation
How do you love someone you don't like? This is one of the most challenging questions for any Christian. In the walk of faith, we usually think that love is an uncontrollable feeling that simply arises or disappears. However, the biblical perspective teaches us something radically opposite: love is a decision that we make every day.
In his message "Road to Transformation: Love", Pastor Josué Angarita guides us through the Scriptures to understand how the patient love of 1 Corinthians 13 and the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:16-26 can practically transform our daily relationships, even with the most difficult people.
Love is Not a Feeling, it is a Decision
The world has taught us that love is a passive emotion. If we feel affection, we love; if we don't feel it, we walk away. But biblical love, Agape love, operates under principles very different from those of eros (passionate) or phileo (brotherly affection) love.
Agape love is unconditional and is based on the will. In Colossians 3:14, the apostle Paul exhorts us: "And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity". Love is described here as a garment. This means that every morning you have the choice and the responsibility to decide to put it on, regardless of how you feel or how others treat you.
The 5 Biblical Steps to Transform into a Loving Person
To walk the road of transformation and reflect that patient and kind love, Pastor Josué Angarita presents us with five practical steps based strictly on the Word of God:
1. Experience God's Love
We cannot give what we have not received. The foundation for loving others, especially our enemies, is having first experienced the unconditional and forgiving love of God in our own lives.
2. Forgive Enemies
Jesus was clear in Matthew 5:44: "Love your enemies". Forgiveness is the vehicle that unleashes love. You cannot walk in love if you hold bitterness or resentment against those who have hurt you.
3. Have Loving Thoughts
Our actions are born in our minds. To truly love, we must align our thoughts with the grace of God, deciding not to ruminate on offenses or feed rejection towards others.
4. Act with Love (The Law of the Extra Mile)
In 1 John 3:18 we are admonished: "Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth". This connects directly with the Law of the Extra Mile described in Matthew 5:41. Loving implies doing more than what is expected of us, actively serving those around us.
5. Hope for the Best
Based on 1 Corinthians 13:7, love "always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres". Having patient love means giving people the benefit of the doubt and hoping with faith that God will work in their lives, maintaining an attitude of hope.
Understanding Hurting People
One of the most profound phrases of this teaching invites us to spiritual empathy:
"Hurting people hurt people. If someone hurts you, it is because that person is hurting. Look beyond the flaws to see the needs."
When we understand that the harsh or harmful reactions of others are usually the result of their own internal wounds, our hearts can move from judgment to compassion. It is there where the truth that 1 corinthians 13 love is patient takes on real and practical meaning.
How to Revive Lost Love in Marriage
If you feel that love in your marital or family relationship has grown cold, the Bible gives us a route of restoration in Revelation 2:5: Consider how far you have fallen, repent and do the things you did at first. Reviving love does not require waiting to feel the emotion of the first day; it requires returning to perform the actions of love and service that were done at the beginning. The feeling will follow obedience.
Decide today to put on love, walk the extra mile, and allow the Holy Spirit to produce in you the fruit of a truly transforming love.