1 Corinthians 13:4 Love endures long and is patient and
kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or
vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.
It doesn’t take endurance if it is easy. Love endures in the midst of pain. Love endures in the presence of
suffering. Love is greater than all
those things. A child who has never
known love or compassion from their parents is a broken vessel that cannot
understand God. Parents are responsible
for raising their children up in love. A
parent who sacrifices for their children is displaying one type of love.
Love is patient and kind in the midst of strife and
anger. Love bears wounds patiently while
reflecting the love and mercy of God.
Love does not become jealous or filled with envy because someone has
something you desire for yourself. Love
rejoices in the blessings of others.
Love also multiplies because God repays love with love and blessing with
blessing.
Love does not brag or boast because love is more concerned
with the welfare of others. If you need
to toot your own horn or tell your own tales then you are not perfected in
love. Love brags about the goodness of
others and tells of their great deeds.
There is a type of glory granted to all children of God and there is a
type whose end is empty. Empty glory is
vain glory. True glory honors God and
all that He has accomplished in our lives.
Love is not arrogant or rude. Rudeness is a sign of insecurity. If you believe in yourself and in your God
you are secure in who you are and whose you are. Secure people need not be rude. Satan is rude. Demons are rude. Earthborn people are rude. Christians are not rude because they are
secure in their God and desire only your salvation and blessing. Rude people who call themselves Christians
are not perfected in the love of God.
1 Corinthians 13:5 It is not conceited (arrogant and
inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act
unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its
own way, for it is not self- seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful;
it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered
wrong.]
Saved people who love God know the source of their joy. They love Him because He first loved
them. They need Him and He meets their
every need. Saved people have an
assurance and that assurance does not come from their own ego but from the
knowledge that greater is He that is in them than he that is in the world. Love makes people act polite; if you say love
makes you rude it is not love. Love
never cries, “I have rights!!” Love doesn’t
say, “It has to be done my way.” Love is
not about you; it is about …them. When
someone is irritable or touchy, they are not operating in love.
Most importantly, love does not keep a list of wrongs done
to it. There is absolutely no record
keeping going on if you are perfected in love.
So…are you?
1 Corinthians 13:6 It does not rejoice at injustice and
unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.
Injustice and unrighteousness is rampant in the world but it
is also well known in the church. Any
time you want God to punish someone because you ‘feel’ that they have done
something wrong, you are a partaker of injustice. Unless you have as much proof as a court of
law requires then you are simply making decisions based upon a feeling rather
than upon truth. You may be right in
your feeling but you may also be absolutely wrong. To be unproven in your negative feelings are
just as sinful as being ‘truly’ wrong.
God expects us to believe the best of others until their actions PROVE
otherwise.
We should have one goal in life above all others. We ought to want what is right and what is
true to prevail, to win, to come out on top.
As Christians our standard of proof must be higher or we might make
mistakes. These mistakes are quite large
because we make them while publically declaring that we bear the marks of the
Lord Jesus in our own bodies. When we
fall short we take God with us. When we
choose righteously we honor Him. Verse
seven below says that we WILL believe the best of any man or woman unless and
until they prove differently.
1 Corinthians 13:7 Love bears up under anything and
everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its
hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without
weakening].
When I was a teen I saw a kitten hanging on a rope for dear
life. The rope was suspended between two
poles and the cat was quite high above ground.
The caption read, “Hang in there.”
Love hangs in there. It does not
let go just because it might be easier.
It does not cease because it is not reciprocated. Love continues. Notice above.
It does not fade under any circumstance and it endures any trial of
affliction without failure. This is the
love God expects of us. You cannot do it
in your own strength. It can only be
accomplished in His.
1 Corinthians 13:8 Love never fails [never fades out or becomes
obsolete or comes to an end]. As for prophecy ( the gift of interpreting the
divine will and purpose), it will be fulfilled and pass away; as for tongues,
they will be destroyed and cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away [it will
lose its value and be superseded by truth.
Scripture says, “God is love.” It never fades or loses its shine. I used to buy watches with phosphorus on
them. You could shine a light on the
face and for a few moments it would glow brightly. Soon enough it would darken and be
illegible. Now I own a watch with vials
of tritium on the face. They will
continue to glow and be legible for a minimum of ten or fifteen years. Love’s half-life is nonexistent. It will shine in your life and be filled with
light forever.
One day prophecy and tongues will pass away. Why?
Because we will have entered heaven’s kingdom and all our answers and
lack of knowledge will pass away. We
will know all things as we ourselves are known.
Tongues and interpretation of tongues will cease because they are equal
to prophecy. Ultimately even knowledge
will cease. Why? Because everyone will know and everyone will
simply love one another.
All these gifts continue today because they fill a need in
our lives that we lack in our imperfections.
When we are made perfect, we will no longer need them and they will
cease. One thing will not cease
though. God’s love will forever continue
and be reinforced. Faith works by
love. Love endures.
True love is not for those in the world. True agape love is eternal like our
Father. It flows from Him into us. It cannot be defeated and it cannot be
controlled. It’s power makes us greater
than ourselves.
Christmas was a season of love first and foremost. It came to bring us more abundant life. Don’t worry about the specific day or time of
year. Just celebrate the coming king and
His victory over sin.
Be well beloved.
Bishop J
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