The love chapter is indeed powerful.

1 Corinthians 13 is such a powerful chapter, especially verses 4-8, which read:

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”

If God calls us to a life of relational love as a way of showing that we are followers of Jesus, then we can put our own name in place of the word love in these scriptures to gauge whether we truly love as Jesus does.

• Shawn is patient and kind.
• Shawn does envy or boast.
• Shawn is not arrogant or rude.
• Shawn does not insist on his own way.
• Shawn is not irritable or resentful.
• Shawn does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.
• Shawn bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
• Shawn never fails (in his quest for relational love).

I know I’m not there yet, but that’s exactly where I want to be. It takes practice. Confess these things every day and live them out. You will know when every else sees the difference in you. God loves you.

And remember, do something today to step out of the boat and become a kingdom champion. “I press toward the goal to the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14)

Step Out of the Boat is a ministry created by Charisma Media Content Development Editor Shawn A. Akers and dedicated to help Christ followers to become spiritual champions and come to a more intimate relationship with Jesus. With its articles, podcasts and other forms of media, Step Out of the Boat encourages Christ followers to daily reach to a higher level in their calling. Shawn is a 35-year veteran sportswriter, a published poet and he published a story about Dale Earnhardt in NASCAR Chicken Soup for the Soul. You can read his blog here. You can also listen to his podcasts, the Javelin Sports Show, on the Charisma Podcast Network.