paradoxum

I was reading Letters to Malcolm recently and in it, Lewis suggests that one read 1 Cor. 13 and substitute "Jesus" in place of the word "love". I thought I'd try that here:

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not Jesus, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not Jesus, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not Jesus, I gain nothing.

Jesus is patient, Jesus is kind. He does not envy, he does not boast, he is not proud. He is not rude, he is not self-seeking, he is not easily angered, he keeps no record of wrongs. Jesus does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.