When We Want the Kind of Love That Pleases God
Love suffers long and is kind;
love does not envy; love does not parade itself,
is not puffed up; does not behave rudely,
does not seek its own,
is not provoked, thinks no evil;
does not rejoice in iniquity,
but rejoices in the truth; bears all things,
believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.
1 CORINTHIANS 13:4-8
God makes it crystal clear in His Word about the kind of love He wants us to have. Sometimes we may wish it weren’t so clear, because what is also clear is that we can’t express this kind of love on a consistent basis without His help. He wants us to have love that is shown in patience and kindness and is not possessive. Love that is not arrogant, rude, demanding, or selfish. Love that does not become irritable or grumpy, and does not keep a list of injustices. Love that believes for the best in others and not the worst, and is happy for their success and not their failure. Love that never gives up on the other person and endures through whatever happens.
God not only wants you to have that kind of love for others, but He also wants you to have it for your husband. And He wants your husband to always exhibit that kind of love for you.
How in the world do you find love within you like that? Do you have the kind of love in your heart that is never selfish or impatient? Do you have the kind of love that can endure anything and never doubt or lose hope? Only the love of God in you can accomplish all that through you. The way you access the flow of God’s love is by being in His presence—in prayer, praise, and worship. It comes by inviting the Holy Spirit to fill you afresh each day with His love and allowing His love to transform you.
My Prayer to God
Lord, I pray You would pour Your amazing, unconditional love into my heart and into my husband’s heart as well. Help us to love each other the way You love us. I know we don’t have it in us to do that on our own, but I also know Your Holy Spirit can fill us with Your love so that it overflows to each other. Enable us to have the kind of love that shows patience with each other, love that is kind and does good, love that doesn’t become possessive or jealous, love that is not arrogant and always trying to steal attention away from the other, love that is never rude or selfish, love that is not hostile or easily irritable, love that believes for the best and not the worst in each other, love that is not resentful and doesn’t keep a record of every offense, love that stands strong no matter what happens and doesn’t lose hope and faith, love that never gives up. Enable us to have love for each other that will never fail.
Lord, You know what we are made of and how imperfect we are. We recognize we can’t begin to do this without Your working a miracle in our hearts. I ask for a continual flow of Your presence and love in our lives today and every day. Help us to have the kind of love for each other that pleases You.
In Jesus’ name I pray.
Adapted from: The Power of a Praying Wife Devotion © 2011 by Stormie Omartian. Published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, OR. Used by permission.
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Stormie Omartian is the bestselling author (more than 14 million books sold) of "The Power of a Praying" series, which includes The Power of a Praying Wife, The Power of a Praying Husband, and The Power of Prayer to Change Your Marriage. Her many other books include The Power of a Praying Life, The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children and Just Enough Light for the Step I'm On. Stormie and her husband, Michael, have been married more than 37 years and are the parents of two adult children. www.stormieomartian.com
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