flawless Person of Jesus Christ...that's more than enough reason to celebrate!
You could almost re-read the verses in 1 Corinthians like this:
"God's love toward me is patient. He suffers long and is kind. His love does not envy and it does not parade itself. Jesus is not puffed up. He stooped down to make me great. He suffered everything imaginable to man, and so much more...so that I could be free. He became nothing, so that I could have everything. He does not behave rudely, and He does not seek his own. Everything He does is for my good, and His glory! He is not easily provoked; He thinks no evil toward me. He doesn't get exasperated and irritated with me. He does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. His love carries me through all things, inspires me to hope all things and believe all things, and with His love...endure all things. His love for me NEVER fails."
This is the true character of Christ. This is His heartbeat for you. Lovely One, you need to know this: GOD HAS NOT GROWN WEARY OF YOU. You don't exhaust Him. He doesn't roll His eyes at you and say,
"Ughhhh, when is she ever going to get this?"
He is not frowning. He's not short-tempered and demanding. He is kind, gentle, and more patient then we can possibly fathom.
God doesn't just "put up with you." He actually likes you! He adores your personality;
with quirks and all.
It's hard for us to imagine how much Jesus delights in us. But Isaiah 62:5 makes it pretty clear:
“As the bride groom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.”
You see, Jesus doesn't think about us in the same way that we think about us. When we see our wine-stained wedding dress of failure, and our righteousness that looks like dirty rags...when we feel ugly, ashamed, out of whack and out of sorts...He sees the truth.
Yes, we know that Jesus loves us...but how could it be that He actually ENJOYS and DELIGHTS in us?!
"Even as [in His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love."
Ephesians 1:4 [AMP]
Jesus sees us through holy and blameless eyes. His pure heart dares to call out the beauty from these ashes. His love causes worthless rags to be transformed into beautiful garments. His work is so much grander than anything Cinderella's fairy god-mother did...He gives us a double portion of honor in exchange for our shame. He turns tears into diamonds, and rags into riches. He turns a lowly pauper into His glorious princess bride.
.About the author:::
Livy Jarmusch is slightly obsessed with love. But aren't we all? Jesus has rocked her world with Love, and she is determined to do the same for the rest of the world. She loves writing, singing, hosting Crown of Beauty conferences, Bible Studies, and daily spending time in the royal presence of Love Himself.