2 Peter 1:7
“and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.”
This is the last trait that Peter shares that a mature Christian should have, love. This isn’t surprising. This is the chief attribute of God. If the majority were to complete the sentence, “God is …” most would say love. Jesus came upon the scene and shocked the world with it. The religious leaders didn’t recognize it. The political leaders of Rome crucified it. The world’s pop culture scene didn’t value it. The criminal class (thief on the cross) mocked it. The business leaders (money changers) missed. Yet, it’s the very thing that we are to have.
1 Corinthians 13 describes great actions that are done without love as irritating and worthless, which gain nothing. In the eyes of some there may be value, but not in God’s eyes. It’s actually self-serving and displeasing. If we don’t have love, it’s as if our compass is faulty and we’re going the wrong way. We can have our entire lives misaligned, if we don’t have love.
When Jesus died the veil of the temple was torn in two and the earth quaked. When we accept Christ there is a radical shift to love. It may not be felt, but it’s there. We’ve accepted the Lord in our lives. He begins to rearrange things. That’s the earthquake. It can be uncomfortable. We begin to trust Him. Our true north becomes His love. When Aslan rose in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, it brought spring to the frozen land. This is His love.
The Corinthian passage describes love. It’s patient, kind, it isn’t envious, it doesn’t boast, it’s not proud or self-seeking, it doesn’t dishonor others, it’s not easily angered, it doesn’t keep records of wrongs, it trusts, hopes and perseveres. Paul talks about being a child, then going on to maturity. As we grow in the Lord, we gain these loving traits. Edges get warn off, our hearts warm, the bitterness thaws.
Lord, thank You for Your love. Thank You for removing the self destructive bitterness and other destructive parts.