So its been a bit since I've posted. Basically I have been lacking in material to write on. Things have been typical here, work, ministry, work, and the such. So I figure I will write just another thing that God has shown me.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
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.
So Love... A touching subject in many ways. But this is not in Greek the form of Love we typically think of. We tend to think of Love as that ooshy gooshy feeling that couples feel. I'd hate to break it to everyone but that is not Love by any means. That is attraction, and shouldn't substitute Love. The Love in this verse is the Greek word Agape.
Jesus uses this word agape is in this verse, John 13:35
"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have Love for one another."
Also here in John 15:9 Jesus uses it
"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my Love."
Now there are plenty of other examples of what this Love is, but I think these two suffice for now. But this Love is the kind of Love is meant to be the kind that Christians share with each other. It is how God loves us. So what characterizes how we are to Love each other? What is this Love supposed to look like? This is what Paul tells us in Corinthians.
We need to be patient. Our Love is to be patient. What is this exactly though? What is it to be patient? This is to have a long spirit, to not lose heart, to be slow to anger, and to endure. Our Love is to be patient.
Second it is kind. Our Love is to show kindness, and it to be mild and gentle.
Third it does not envy. It does not desire the things that are not its own or things that it cannot have
Fourth our Love does not boast. Our Love does not place ourselves above others, or looks little on others. It does not try to make us better than them.
It is not arrogant or rude. Our Love for one another will not treat someone lower than they are, and it will not be rude. But our Love will encourage and lift others up, and will treat them with kind politeness.
It does not insist on its own way. Our Love will not try to have everything my way or the highway, but will humbly submit to others ideas.
Our Love is not irritable, or resentful. Our love does not bring up the past. The Greek word literally means to think about. Our Love will not think about the wrong someone else has done, but it will forgive them and restore things to what they were.
Love does not rejoice in wrong doing. It does not praise the wicked, and it will correct wrong.
Love will rejoice though in the Truth. It will rejoice in the Truth, whether it hurts, whether it stings, it will rejoice in the Truth.
Because Love bears all things, it believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love will bear all things. We are told to bear one another's burdens. We are to help others with problems. Love is persuaded, convinced, and believed in all things. Love is not suspicious of someones story when they need help. Love is not suspicious when someone apologizes. Love does not doubt, but believes. Love hopes all things. Love does not die under suffering, but hopes for Christ's salvation and in God's plan. It hopes that all things will be right and according to God's will. Love then endures all things. It remains, this is the meaning of endure. Love does not die at the first sign of loss, but always remains when troubles come. It will not run and hide, but will remain. No matter what happens to it Love will remain.
Then lastly Love never ends. It remains even until the end of time. We will not be prophesying in Heaven, we will not speak in tongues, we will not have knowledge (when everyone knows everything, there is no knowledge), we will not evangelize, we will not sin, we will not hurt, we will not marry, we will not cry, we will not have a lot of things, but we will always Love in Heaven. It will never pass away.
There are a few things that I can think of that will never pass away. First communion with God will never pass away, second God's word will never pass away, and third Love will not pass away. We should take advantage of these eternal things and use them on earth as much as possible. We are told to Love one another.
Does your Love look like 1 Corinthians 13?
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