1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity evieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, and endureth all things.
Let’s take the list into parts to grasp each characteristic at a time.
Suffers long – Being patient in hard times. Who really wants to be patient when everything around them is going wrong?
Envies not – If you love, you do not envy. Envy can cause strife and hate amongst others.
Vaunts not – Boasting is not attractive. To love is to be humble. You can’t be humble if you tell everyone how great you are.
Not puffed up – Just because you’re not boasting aloud, doesn’t mean you’re not boasting to yourself. No one likes to hang around big headed people.
Does not behave unseemly – Meaning, don’t behave in a way that isn’t Christ like. There could be a plethora of dos and don’ts right here, but if you follow Christ you will be on the right track.
Doesn’t seek her own – It means don’t seek your own comfort or gain. Christ put others before Himself, shouldn’t we do the same?
Not easily provoked – Everyone has one thing that just makes them explode, but we shouldn’t. It should take someone a long time to get us upset.
Thinks no evil – When someone says something about someone, or you see something that isn’t quite right, your first thought shouldn’t be that they are straying from the faith! Don’t let your imagination get ahead of you.
Rejoices in truth – What is truth? God and His Word. We are to rejoice in the things that are true!
Bears all things – Don’t let hard times get the better of you. With Christ, you can do anything.
Believes all things – A sweet child-like innocence. Believing the best about a person.
Hopes all things – Hoping for someone. When the evidence points otherwise, hope that it isn’t true. And when you can’t hope that, hope that they will turn around back toward God.
Endures all things – Pain, suffering, loss, and persecution, just to name a few things, are things we must endure. Things that are normal in a Christian’s life.
Some information gained from God Vine, specifically Clarke’s Commentary.