Choosing Love Today: Grace in the Mess - Episode 6: Love That Holds

Here the big question for the day....have you ever loved someone who makes things difficult… and you wonder how to keep loving them? Most of us have. Loving people is easy......when they’re easy. But loving people who frustrate you, disappoint you, or push your buttons — that’s where things get real tough. And that’s exactly where the church in Corinth found itself. Corinth wasn’t a calm church. It wasn’t a quiet church. It wasn’t a mature church. It was a messy church. People were arguing. People were dividing. People were competing and people were keeping score. And right in the middle of all that noise, Paul writes one of the most famous chapters in the Bible — 1 Corinthians 13. We hear it at weddings, but Paul didn’t write it for romance. He wrote it for rescue. He wrote it for a church that was falling apart. He says: Love is patient. Love is kind. Love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t boast. Love isn’t proud. Love doesn’t dishonor others. Love isn’t self-seeking. Love isn’t easily angered. Love keeps no record of wrongs. This isn’t poetry — it’s correction. It’s Paul saying, “This is what you’re missing.” And maybe this is what we’re missing too. My friends, love isn’t a feeling — it’s a choice. Love isn’t soft — it’s strong. Love isn’t passive — it’s active. Love isn’t sentimental — it’s sacrificial. Love is what holds messy people together. And here’s the part we forget: Paul wrote this to Christians. Not unbelievers. Not outsiders. Not strangers. He wrote it to people who already knew Jesus… but didn’t know how to love each other. Let me ask you a few questions: Where do you need more patience today? Where do you need to show more kindness? Where do you need to exhibit less pride? Where do you need to let go of a record of wrongs? Where do you need to choose love instead of waiting to feel it? Because here’s the truth: Gifts can impress people. Knowledge can inform people. Talent can attract people. But only love can transform people. Paul ends the chapter with three words that still shake the room: “Love never fails.” Did you hear that”.......”Love never fails.” Maybe you need to write this on a 3 x 5 card and carry that around in your pocket for awhile until you remember it consistently. Carry this with you today: If you want to be strong… love. If you want to be mature… love. If you want to be Christ-like… love. Grace in the mess looks like love that holds.   That's another way of.......Choosing Love Today!