The Love Test

By Victoria Osteen, Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Do you ever do those little quizzes in magazines or online where you answer a few questions, and instantly, they are able to tell you about your fashion sense, décor style, what diet will work best for you, or what type of friends you should have? Most times, they are just for fun, but it's easy to see that people like to evaluate themselves. We like to gauge where we are and learn about ways to improve ourselves. I believe God put that desire inside of all of us so that we can evaluate ourselves in the light of His Word in order to become all that He created us to be.

Earlier in the week, I posted on my Facebook page a short fill-in-the-blank questionnaire about your love walk based on first Corinthians 13 which says, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." When we allow God to work in our lives and yield ourselves to Him, we will display these same characteristics. We will be patient and kind. We won't envy, boast or be proud. We won't dishonor others or be easily angered; we won't keep a record of wrongs done to us, and so on. A simple way to evaluate your love walk is to insert your name, or "I", in place of the word "love" in this verse. When you do this, not only are you evaluating yourself, you are also empowering yourself. God's Word is alive and powerful! When you declare these words over your life, the truth of God's Word draws forth the seeds of love that God deposits into us when we invite Jesus to be our Lord and Savior. His love draws us to Him and transforms us to be like Him.

Always remember that love is the greatest thing. If we focus on loving others the way God does, scripture says that we will be fulfilling His whole law. Today and every day, choose to be patient with others. Choose to be kind. Choose to forgive. Let your love grow and shine so that people may look at the example of your life and glorify God in heaven.