Welcome back to Living Life’s Way, where we share moments of profound truth and encourage your journey with “The Healing Heart Time of Prayer.” This podcast is designed for every Christian woman who longs for a deeper, more meaningful spiritual walk with God and seeks healing for her heart.
In this episode, we turn our attention to the beloved and often-quoted words of 1 Corinthians 13:4: “Love is patient, love is kind…” While this passage is famous for defining love, its simple elegance can sometimes cause us to miss a profound truth.
Join Dr. Mary Buck as she explores the foundational truth that kindness is not just an attribute of love, but an intrinsic part of its very nature. This episode will guide you in understanding the difference between a polite gesture and genuine, biblical kindness—one that is patient, sacrificial, and a visible expression of a transformed heart.
We hope this podcast is more than just a listening experience; we hope it is an invitation to encounter Jesus in a new and personal way. The work He finished on Calvary’s cross is incredible! After listening, we encourage you to use the prayer journal prompts and activity at the end of the transcript. These questions are a perfect way to reflect on the nature of true kindness and its power to heal.
THIS IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY.
FOR MEDICAL ADVICE OR DIAGNOSIS, CONSULT A PROFESSIONAL.
The Healing Heart of Prayer: The Love That Heals
[Intro Music Fades In and Out]
Dr. Buck: Welcome back to The Healing Heart Time of Prayer. I’m Dr. Mary Buck, your Christian Life Coach, and I’m so glad you’ve joined me today. In our journey, we’ve talked about doing good and wearing the spiritual garment of kindness. Today, we’re going to dive into the very heart of kindness itself, as defined by the most famous chapter on love in the entire Bible.
Our focus today is a verse that beautifully illustrates this truth: 1 Corinthians 13, verse 4: “Love is patient, love is kind…”
To help me unpack this incredible truth, I have Abby, my digital assistant, with us. Abby?
Abby: Hello, Dr. Buck. It’s so beautiful that the verse doesn’t just say love “has” kindness but that love “is” kind. What does this tell your listeners about the connection between the two?
Dr. Buck: That’s a profound observation, Abby. The phrasing reveals that kindness isn’t an optional add-on to love; it is an essential quality of it. It’s like a property of love, something that is inseparable from it. If we claim to love someone, our actions should naturally reflect kindness. The absence of kindness indicates a deficiency in the love we profess to have. In other words, It’s not the God-kind of love that truly heals our heart and the hearts of those around us.
Abby: That’s such a powerful truth. So, what is the difference between just being “polite” and showing genuine, biblical kindness that flows from love?
Dr. Buck: That’s a key distinction, Abby, and it’s a matter of the heart. Politeness can be a superficial gesture; it’s what we do to be socially acceptable. But biblical kindness is born from a heart of love. It’s often patient, sacrificial, and it seeks the good of the other person, even when it’s not convenient. When we act with this kind of genuine kindness, our hearts are healed because we are moving from a place of mere obligation to a place of authentic, selfless love—the very love of God.
Abby: Thank you for pointing out that distinction, Dr. Buck. And to let you know, we’re at the close of this episode. Would you like to lead in prayer?
Dr. Buck: Thanks, Abby, for letting us know. My sisters in Christ, let’s take these truths to prayer.
[Pause for a moment of reflection]
Dr. Buck: Heavenly Father, we thank you for the truth that you are a God of patient and perfect love. We confess that we often get caught up in superficial acts of politeness, please forgive us for those times that we have fallen short of your glory but we long to live with genuine, biblical kindness.
We pray that you would fill our hearts with your love, so that kindness becomes a natural overflow of who we are in you. Heal any hardness in our hearts, Lord, and make us a people whose love is expressed not just in words, but in patient and kind deeds. We pray all of this in the mighty and precious name of Jesus. Amen.
[Short musical interlude]
Dr. Buck: My sisters, I pray that you’ll be encouraged by the truth of God’s word today. And my friend, as you are listening in and have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, do so now. Allow God’s Holy Spirit to fill your heart with the healing power of His true love.
Thank you for joining me for The Healing Heart Time of Prayer. Until next time, may God’s peace and love be with you. And remember, as God gets bigger in your life, you get stronger.
[Outro Music Fades In]
Journal Prompts and Activity
Journal Prompts: The Kindness of Love
- Politeness vs. Kindness: Think of a time when you were polite to someone, but your heart wasn’t fully engaged. Now, think of a time when you showed genuine kindness. What was the difference in your motivation and in how you felt afterward?
- A Patient Act: The verse says, “Love is patient, love is kind.” How does patience connect to kindness in your own life? Is there a person or situation where you need to show more patience so that you can also be genuinely kind?
- An Expression of Love: What does it mean for your kindness to be an “expression of genuine, biblical love”? Write a short prayer asking God to help you live with this motivation.
Related Activity
Today, choose one specific act of kindness to do for someone who may not expect it. As you do it, consciously think of it as a tangible expression of God’s love flowing through you, not as a moral obligation. After you’ve done it, reflect on how it felt to give that kindness without expecting anything in return.
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