Wednesday in the Word - Loving Your Neighbor

Pastor encouraged us further on Loving Your Neighbor. I've found myself pondering his points for a few days now. There are some areas where Love is fairly strong in me, and other areas that need improvement. (Vast improvement would be a better description.)

• Love is patient. Love puts up with people, accepts people when they fail and sin, and takes people where they are at. Love doesn't get angry when a person does things differently. Love doesn't push people in their spiritual growth. Love believes that God is working in a person's life. 1 Corinthians 13:4
• Love is kind. Love gives what is good to people. (Time, money, goods, her life, whether they deserve it or not.) Love is kind to her enemies. Gives herself willingly, without expecting anything in return. Love is kind, encouraging and commending in her speech. (Luke 6:30-36, Romans 2:4, Proverbs 18:16)
• Love is forgiving. Love does not keep track of person's sins. Love forgives those who have been forgiven by God. Matthew 18:33, Acts 7:60
• Love is loyal. Love never gives up and never forsakes. Love is committed to a person, even if he sins, and even in times of trial, difficulty and sickness. Love initiates with people, and tries to stay in touch with them. (Paul/Barnabus Acts 15:39)
• Love is hospitable. Loves reaches out...not only to family and friends, but to strangers too. Love goes after people, loves them, befriends them, makes them feel welcome and at at home. Luke 17:10, Romans 12:13
• Love believes the best. Love is not suspicious of other's motives. Love does not gossip. Love is not critical of others. Love defends a person when he is wrongly criticized.
• Love is not proud. Love has a right view of self, is not concerned with own self image, but is focused on God's glory. Love is humble and broken before God and people. Matthew 5:3-4, Luke 18:14
• Love is not rude, unseemly, shameful or indecent. Love is gracious in her speech and conduct. She is polite and considerate. Love is not crude, coarse, loud or abusive.
• Love protects. Love is committed to protecting fellow believers from spiritual or physical harm. Love knows truth so as to recognize and refute errors, and therefore protect people's minds from the lies of the devil. 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 Love does not gossip about someone's sin, but is quick to cover the person's sin, and help them get victory over it. Love wants to help the sinner with the least amount of harm to them. Proverbs 10:12

"Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need of anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; for indeed you practice it toward all the brethren, but we urge you to excel still more." 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10
I really appreciated this last scripture. Because no matter where we're at, we can always, "excel still more."
I'm going to challenge myself to work on hospitality, reaching out and connecting to people. I tend to be shy, never knowing what to say in any given situation. I'm much better than I used to be...but I see that my advancement in hospitality skills is lagging behind other areas. I'd like to purpose to be better at loving people through my actions and words.