Love Is Not Easily Provoked
We have been talking about love. In 1 Corinthians 13, Scripture tells us what love is—and what love is not.
Verse 5 in the Amplified Bible says:
“It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered]; it does not take into account a wrong endured.”
— 1 Corinthians 13:5 (AMP)
In the world we live in, the normal response when something doesn’t sit right with us is irritation.
That irritation can turn into anger, and then we become provoked to lash out or defend ourselves.
We all know that rarely ends well.
Anger itself is an emotion, but what we do with it matters.
Paul himself was irritated and provoked when he saw the idolatry taking place in Athens.
Acts 17:16 says:
“Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols.”
If you continue reading, you will find that Paul turned that anger into an opportunity to share Jesus—the one true God.
When we get irritated, we choose to love.
When we are angry, we remember how much Jesus loves that person—and we love.
Instead of being provoked to lash out and hurt others, we can be provoked to love and to share His love with those around us.