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“What Love Really Looks Like”

We live in a world that talks about love constantly—but rarely defines it well. Love is reduced to chemistry, convenience, attraction, or how someone makes us feel in the moment. It is celebrated when it’s easy and abandoned when it becomes costly. By and large, the world has learned how to feel love, but not how to live it.

Scripture gives us something far better.

In 1 Corinthians 13:4–7, the apostle Paul offers not a poem about romance, but a portrait of love as it truly is—love as it functions in real life, under pressure, over time, and in imperfect relationships. This passage doesn’t describe an emotion; it describes a way of being. It shows us how love behaves when feelings fluctuate, when conflict arises, and when circumstances are anything but ideal.

“Love is patient, love is kind… It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
—1 Corinthians 13:4, 7 (NIV)

Over the coming days—from tomorrow through February 14—we will slow down and examine each of the 15 attributes of love found in this passage. One attribute per day. Not rushed. Not theoretical. But thoughtfully, prayerfully, and practically.

Here are the attributes we will explore together:

• Love is patient
• Love is kind
• Love does not envy
• Love does not boast
• Love is not proud
• Love does not dishonor others
• Love is not self-seeking
• Love is not easily angered
• Love keeps no record of wrongs
• Love does not delight in evil
• Love rejoices with the truth
• Love always protects
• Love always trusts
• Love always hopes
• Love always perseveres

This journey is not about measuring how well others love. It is an invitation to let Scripture gently—but honestly—measure us. Not to condemn us, but to form us. 

Biblical love is not revealed to shame us for what we are not; it is revealed to show us what God is steadily shaping us to become.

Think of love like a master craftsman’s blueprint. If you handed a builder a vague idea—“Make it nice”—you would get inconsistent results. But if you handed them a detailed plan, every beam, joint, and support would have purpose. God does not leave love vague. He defines it clearly so it can be built solidly.

As we move through these devotionals, expect moments of conviction—but also reassurance. Expect clarity—but also hope. Love, as Scripture defines it, is not beyond reach. It is learned, practiced, refined, and strengthened over time.

Tomorrow, we begin with the first attribute: Love is patient.
And from there, step by step, we will discover what love really looks like—when it is lived, not just felt.

Today's Musical Reflection: 'Tis Love That Makes Us Happy

Have a great day and God bless!

Pastor Mike / The Open Word