“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth 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;” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5)
What is real love (charity)? It is that thing that is patient and kind. It is that thing that does not envy. It is that thing that places others above ourselves. It is that thing that is humble and not proud. It is that thing that is “lovely” and not ugly. It is that thing that is not selfish. It is that thing that thinks only good things and not evil.
LOVE IS A BIG THING! It seems impossible to do all that stuff that is mentioned in today’s passage. However, it is not impossible. Because “For with God nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:36) Well this is what the angel told to Mary of Nazareth regarding her cousin Elizabeth who had conceived a child in her old age.
How is it that we can possibly love in the fullest way as the Scripture in 1 Cor 13:4-5 says that we should? Only by the power of the Holy Spirit! “Love” is part of the fruit that the Spirit produces in the believer, it is first amongst many others, we see them listed in Gal 5:22-23:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
When we as believers “walk in the Spirit” that love is produced and we have it at our disposal to use it for which it is intended. This fruit allows us to “esteem other better than ourselves” (Phil 2:3). It allows us to look onto the things of others, rather than our own (Phil 2:4). It helps us to flee youthful lusts (2 Tim 2:22). AND love covers a multitude of sins (1 Pet 4:8).
As you study the Bible you can see that it says more about love than perhaps any other topic. What does your “love” look like? Is it pure as only the Holy Spirit can produce?
Now the end of the commandment is CHARITY out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: [6] From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; [7] Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm. (1 Timothy 1:5-7 )
Things to Think About and Do
- Think about our current events in the country and in the world. What has been your reaction to things that you might see on social media or things that are discussed in person? Are you “lovely” in your response?
2. As mentioned in the post above, “love” is a very popular subject in the Bible. Find 3 passages of Scripture that talk about love that are not mentioned in this post and write them down.
3. Now, look at each one of those passages and consider how you can apply that to your own life, even today, so that God’s love continues to be spread into a sometimes unlovely world.
