Love:  Overused; Underlived
“Bears, Believes, Hopes, Endures” 
1 Corinthians 13:7

1 Corinthians 13:1-7

“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” –1 Corinthians 13:7

Love ...
Bears, believes, hopes and endures all things

Bears 
Protects as an unselfish servant
To accept each other and to protect; honor
Do you create space for people to be themselves? 

Believes
Trusts, never loses faith, patient
Trust is not something you earn; trust is something you offer
Do you take the step of trust first? 

Hopes
Gives room to grow. 
We need to be people that give each other a second chance
Does the way you interact with others bring out the best in them? 

Endures
Perseveres, forgives and continues together in the midst of hardship
Throw forgiveness around like confetti
How long does it take for you to forgive? 

All things (or always)
This is impossible unless you have truly experienced this kind of love.

“We love because he first loved us.” –1 John 4:19

This is impossible with out the Holy Spirit.
	
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.” –1 John 4:7-13

Love
Over-used word
Under-lived value

Love is the “sine qua non” (without which not) of the authentic follower of Jesus (Rom. 5:5; Gal. 5:22)
Love is the thing that is absolutely necessary for a Christian. 

“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” –John 13:35

Commit to love as we have been loved by God.