Love Is… “Not”

1 Corinthians 13:4–7 (NIV): 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

What Competes With God's Heart?

What I want to focus on here, in this very well-known passage is that when the Bible describes love, it doesn’t just tell us what love is. Much of the passage tells us what love is not. Instead of saying "love is humble," it says "love is not proud." Instead of "love is content," it says "love does not envy."

Paul, writing to a church full of pride, competition, and spiritual arrogance, is lovingly and intentionally correcting them as he addresses the poison directly. He’s explaining that love is not just about warm feelings or nice actions. Real love is defined by what it’s willing to reject.

By using "nots," Scripture invites us to examine the counterfeit versions of love we might be holding onto. This could be envy disguised as ambition, pride masked as confidence, or bitterness hiding under the name of justice. Before love can grow, we need to pull out the weeds. True, Spirit-filled love clears out everything that competes with God’s heart.

Now Let’s Pray

Dear Heavenly Father thank You for giving us clear instructions on how we can honor You in the way we love. Remind us that love isn’t just what we do, but how we restrain ourselves from certain behaviors and thought patterns. Give us the strength to be slow to impulsive ways of living that compete with Your heart and definition of love.

In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.