Christian Living
I’ve been working on an interesting blogpost for some days now and was really looking forward to publishing it today. However, I woke up this morning with a different thought in mind……. LOVE. My first reaction was; ‘not again’. But then, I saw Andrew Wommack’s last Tuesday Bible Study and behold, it was on love!
Apart from writing on Christians being Light, Love is probably my next favorite topic. Love is Not This Or That, This Is Love, When Hated Love and a few others. More than anything, these articles and frequent thoughts on 1 Corinthians 13, have remained steady reminders to me of what God’s love truly means.
What Is Love?
A lot of Christians haven’t really understood love. A few others talk about love in the light of something they expect to receive from others. But can you imagine if every Christian thought about themselves giving love every time 1 Corinthians 13 flashes through their mind? Christianity will be truly defined. How do you love?
Love is one gift God gave to us in abundance (Romans 5:5). Meaning we have the capacity to express it. We did nothing to earn God’s love, in fact, we were undeserving of God’s love. God loved us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). God is love, God lives in us and so we should love (1 John 4: 8 &16).
With reference to John 3:16, giving is an expression of love. It is not the only way to love. The unique and outstanding thing in John 3:16 is not that God gave, but the magnitude and weight of His gift (selah). Reading 1 Corinthians 13 again, ……’giving’ is grouped among acts often considered highly but which are, according to God, of lesser value to Him than love (1 Corinthians 13:1-3, 8-10).
‘And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.’ I Corinthians 13:3 NKJV
I remember 2 scripture portions at this point…1. Jesus saying to a ruler ‘go sell all you have, give to the poor, then come follow me‘. 2. Jesus saying, ;’drop your gift at the alter, first go make peace with your brother then come give your sacrifice‘. Truth is, these 2 scriptures are not contradictory. Giving is difficult to the un-renewed mind, and living at peace with a brother is far more important to God than sacrificing to Him. More like, ‘you cannot love God but hate your neighbor‘.
So how do you love?
If you are ever in doubt of what agape love truly means, please go to 1 Corinthians 13:4-7….
“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” I Corinthians 13:4-7
Love suffers long……Is kind……Bears All Things…..Endures All Things
Are you quick to abandon a wrecking ship without offering any help? Do you have very little or no tolerance for unpleasant experiences or situations? ….Maybe you are struggling with longsuffering.
Do you struggle with showing empathy or sympathy to others? ….That sounds like someone struggling with being kind. Kindness is motivated from within, and is focused on doing what is right to others, according to God’s Word.
Are you impatient? Do you often hear yourself saying ….‘I can’t take this anymore‘ in unpleasant situations. Are you quick to disengage from discomforts?
Love does not envy, …Does not Parade itself….. Is Not Not Puffed Up
Do you feel resentment at someone else’s achievement, possession, or qualities? Do you sometimes think you’re best suited for these things except that perhaps the other person is more fortunate? Well then, you maybe swimming in envy and not working in love. Would you sometimes feel better if you were recognized as contributing to these achievements, possessions or qualities? (happens!). Worst still, do you quickly arrange and project your own achievements, possessions and qualities instead of recognizing and rejoicing with the other person? Ooops! That aint God’s kind of love…….
Love does not behave rudely…...Is not Provoked
Are you impolite and bad-mannered? Are you harsh, brash or abrupt in your dealings with others? ….Seems like there’s some form of rudeness lurking around. Well, this is at variance with the expression of God’s kind of love.
Do you get easily enraged, angered and exasperated? Lord!!!
Love Thinks no Evil…..Does Not Rejoice in Iniquity…….
Do you catch yourself sometimes hatching a revenge, thinking of how best to get even with someone, or actually thinking of eliminating someone for a personal gain? Do you feel relieved or sad when something bad happens to someone you considered an enemy? More like…….serves him right! ……..if only he listened to me………. if only he didn’t come up against me……..etc,….etc,… That is not God-kind of love. WAKE UP!!
Love believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Do you quickly forget your testimonies and past victories when faced with new challenges? Do your problems cloud your mind so fast that you only seek God’s Word as a last resort? Well, forgive me, but sounds like you don’t really love God!
Grace, God’s Love is tough but liberating and peaceful (I have to remember this).
And so I ask you; ‘how do you love’? God’s love has been shed abroad in our hearts, but how do we express it?
One of the key differences between a child and an adult is experience. And we grow from children to adults in God the more we experience Him by regularly exposing our hearts to His Word and Also Allowing the Word Impact Us..
‘When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. ‘ I Corinthians 13:11 NKJV
