Love Believes All Things

What is love?  The definition of love is found only once in the Bible: “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude.  It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).  Let’s continue to give ourselves a biblical “love” test by looking closely at the words and phrases used to describe love. The thirteenth biblical descriptor of love is “believes all things.” Note the word “all.”  All means all!  This love optimistically believes the best of others until proven otherwise.  It looks only for good in the beloved, choosing to consistently assume positive intent. Before confronting another’s sin, agape love looks first at itself.  It refuses to judge hypocritically or self-righteously.  Instead, it remembers the log in its own eye before concerning itself with the splinter in another’s (Matthew 7:3). Love that believes all things realizes that people will always disappoint one another.  No one is perfect until heaven.  This love boldly believes that anyone can change, even those living and walking in the deepest, darkest sin.   Agape love knows that grace is the strongest force in the universe. How are you doing with the thirteenth part of God’s love test?   Before you answer, consider this: Do you believe the other can change through Jesus?  Do you believe the best in others?  Or are you a fault-finder?  Do you first offer others encouragement, or lead with criticism? I think now you are ready to answer. “Love believes all things…”