1 Corinthians 16:14 Let all things related to you be done in love.
This is the key idea for how the Corinthians should respond to one another. Love is the key to the Christian life. It solves many of the challenges within relationships. As the greatest gift, it has the greatest affect upon others and the mission of reaching the world. Often our love is influenced by our experiences and interactions with others. If we have had good experiences with certain people, it may be easier to love them. It is more challenging to love those who cause us difficulty or even harm. We form biases and opinions based on these positive or negative influences. The type of love that the Holy Spirit grows within us overcomes these biases and opinions and loves people no matter who they are or what they have done. Love does not overlook the need for people to change because it wants to see them make the best decisions for their lives. But must also be willing to forgive them when they do something against us. This can be a difficult balance to maintain and takes wisdom, kindness, and patience to work through. Love as our primary motivation will change a lot about how we live. Love will be the outflow and result of the Holy Spirit growing us into the likeness of Jesus Christ. We can look to how Jesus interacted with people. At times, he was forgiving and accepting, and other times, he had to confront evil and rebellious people. To do “everything” in love is impossible without God’s help.
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