"Always"
By: Zach Wood
1 Corinthians 13:6-7
Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.


Anytime I start thinking of love, my mind is immediately taken back to the Cross of Calvary. Why? Because I realize that no Love on this earth could or can ever amount to the Love that was shown by Jesus Christ as He spread out His arms and died for each one of us. No matter what was happening to Jesus as He lived and persevered through trials and the horrific torment in His life, He always continued to show a Love that no one around could comprehend. Whatever any human around was thinking, the thoughts could not match the Love Christ was feeling in His heart directly from the Father God in Heaven.

I'll be really honest with you all. I have a difficult time loving some people in my life. Maybe I struggle with love because of an unrepentant hurt a person has thrown at me. Possibly someone talked behind my back and I found out about it, but no remorse came from the offender. Or, maybe someone said something very discouraging to my face and it has left a permanent scar on my heart. Now, have I suffered more than Christ did? No. Simple to realize. But, does this stop me from feeling resentment toward others at times and not having the heart to love them despite what they've put me through or the hurt they have cause me? I am not perfect and I toil with resentment and revengeful feelings many times in my life and even now. I am only being completely open and honest about this because I know we all deal with this harsh reality as Children of a Holy God. He knows our hurt and how we've been scarred.

With all that said, take a look again at the Cross on Calvary. Do you think if Christ has resentment built up in His heart, He would have still gone to the Cross? Probably not. Through all the pain and the torment He endured, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, continued His walk up Golgotha and to a heavy Cross which bound Him for death. It wasn't the nails that held Him there.....it was LOVE!!!

Brothers and Sisters, that LOVE is totally beyond anything we will ever be able to understand. Don't try, but instead focus on how Christ responded to people. He acted in all love. When He could have insulted back, He remained silent. That's hard for most of us to do in any situation. Biting our tongue and holding back is against our human flesh nature. Anything Christ could have done to have revenge on his accusers and abusers would have been evil. However, LOVE does not delight in the evil, but instead rejoices with the Truth. There is a Love that always protects, hopes, trusts and perseveres. Is it attainable? Absolutely. Is it easy? Hardly. Is it fair? No. Love may be defined in a dictionary, but we'll never really be able to define what it truly means. All we can do is look to the Cross and do our best to show that Love to everyone we come in contact with. No matter how they have treated us, we must act in Love. No excuses allowed. Jesus didn't give any and neither should we.