READ 1 Corinthians 13-16
The NT ‘love chapter’ is repeated at weddings and even funerals. While familiar, it needs to be read with a thoughtful heart . . .
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 with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. (1 Corinthians 13:4–11)
The writer starts by saying that speaking in tongues without love is mere noise. He says prophetic skills, faith, extreme generosity and sacrifice are also useless without love. Love is vital, an eternal value that will abide forever. Obviously the love spoken of here is the love of God, beyond how most of us use the word.
With that in mind and noticing how some of the above passage is in the negative, I decided to paraphrase it to help me focus:
Love is gently enduring and happy about the blessings others have and thankful to God for blessing me also. for my own. Love is humble, always behaving in a considerate and appropriate manner. Love values the ideas and actions of others, is always in a good mood, and perseveres with those who fall short. While love is delighted with truth, it is also able to be patient when virtues are absent, abiding through all things because of faith in God, trusting that He is taking care of everything. This means love withstands whatever is happening without giving up. My knowledge will not endure forever, nor will any spiritual gifts I might have for they are temporary. Children think in very simple terms, which is okay for children, but love brings a maturity that is deeper than even the simplicity of childlike faith.
I don’t know if my understanding of love is accurate, but I do know that the more I read about the love of God and the way that Jesus lived, died, rose to life and redeems sinners, the more I realize the importance of love.
I also realize that to others, this love could appear wimpy, too easy on those who seem to deserve judgment, yet love is not without backbone. Later in today’s reading, the author says:
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. (1 Corinthians 16:13–14)
Act like men and be strong is defined as doing everything in love. That is, in the way that God describes it and demonstrates it to us, love is never a weakness. Love takes great courage and involves great sacrifice, all best shown in the life and death of Jesus Christ. Standing firm means not giving in to sin and selfishness, but living for the eternal well-being of others and for the glory of God.
We talk about love too loosely, too casually and much of that talk is actually opposite to God’s love. For example, when I say that I love chocolate, I do not mean I give up my life so others can eat it. That expression is more like I’ll give up a couple of dollars so I can indulge myself — quite the opposite attitude of the One who said, “Not my will but thine be done.”
Lord, I’ve so much to learn about love and need much grace to live it out as You describe it and demonstrate it for me and for everyone in Your forever family. Help us to truly love one another as You love us.
No comments:
Post a Comment