“Love endures with patience and serenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant. It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered]; it does not take into account a wrong endured. It does not rejoice at injustice, but rejoices with the truth [when right and truth prevail]. Love bears all things [regardless of what comes], believes all things [looking for the best in each one], hopes all things [remaining steadfast during difficult times], endures all things [without weakening]. Love never fails [it never fades nor ends]. But as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for the gift of special knowledge, it will pass away.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 AMP)
REFLECTION
Today’s reflection is in the form of an excerpt from an allegory written by my mother (and edited with permission):
One day Devastation woke up in her little cottage and felt prompted to visit her neighbour, Long Suffering. Suffice to say, Long Suffering was the most faithful of friends. Long Suffering was married to Self Sacrifice and together they were the most caring and understanding neighbours anyone could hope for. Long Suffering encouraged Devastation to embark on a journey with them to The Valley of Bubbling Springs, where there lived Truth and Valour, Integrity and Humility, Harmony and Laughter, Delight and Beauty and other good friends. Devastation didn’t hesitate. She got ready and off they went. They encounted many obstacles on their journey to The Valley of Bubbling Springs. Devastation was often beaten by Exhaustion, but Long Suffering and Self Sacrifice were a great help, and she found herself more and more thankful for her faithful friends. Long Suffering encouraged her to keep going and Self Sacrifice inspired her to be more concerned about her friends than herself, and together they persevered. Until one day they finally arrived at The Valley of Bubbling Springs and there they became best friends with Faith, Hope and Love, and Devastation’s name was changed to Delight.
PRAYER POEM
Loving Lord ~ only in union with You can we really experience true love, because You are love. As I pray and ponder Your Word, may every aspect of my life be saturated with all that is good and eternally true, and may everything I do point others to You.
*Dear Reader : Today is the 365th devotional to be published on this site. This is the last one to be published here. Moving forward, each devotional will be prayerfully reviewed and undergo an editorial process, whereby they’ll be converted into a 365 daily devotional book, which is set for public release on 21 December 2024.
