[Charity] Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own. (1 Corinthians 13:5a)
Love never says, “It’s my way or the highway.”
Love purposes not to seek their own way.
Children are naturally selfish. Tell a three-year-old that they will not get what they want and they pout, they fuss, they may even throw a tantrum. Unfortunately, there are a lot of full-grown adults who have never matured past that three-year-old stage. When something doesn’t happen the way they wanted it to, they fuss and cry and whine and tell everyone they can about their tantrum and how they weren’t heard or that “nobody cares.” We need more “grown up” Christians who don’t seek their own but seek God’s purposes and plan for their life.
Mature people know no one gets their own way all the time. Period.
Genuine love understands this and reacts selflessly with humility. Christians should constantly seek what benefits their family, church, or their nation rather than what benefits the unholy trinity of me, myself, and I. Instead of acting in a self-centered and self-focused way, love demonstrates respect toward those around them. Love considers others’ thoughts and feelings before their own. This is displayed in the words we choose, the actions we take, and the attitudes we have with those around us.
Love is always seeking to develop a culture of honor by sacrificially serving the people God has placed in our lives. This happens with a mindset of humility, deciding to see others as more important and more honored than ourselves. Prioritize benefiting the whole, instead of just how you yourself can profit.
Practical Application
When you face difficulty, challenges, or even tasks to undertake, consider what should be your priority. Is it to make yourself look good? To promote your own pride? Or can you prioritize how to uplift and encourage and listen to those around you, seeking to show the love of God through this moment?