Monday, November 6, 2017, 3:33 p.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Oh, To Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer.”
Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a (ESV/NASB).
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 (ESV).
Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love
does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek
its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not
rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things,
believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails
(NASB).
I am quoting this passage from
two different translations, as each one adds a different aspect, in some cases,
to the completeness of thought.
What is Love?
The Greek word for love, in
this context, is agapē, which is divine (God-like) love, which prefers what God
prefers, i.e. what is moral, righteous, virtuous, holy, pure, honest and
honorable. Agapē love is self-sacrificial, and puts the welfare of others above
its own. It is also not based in human emotion, but in the will of God, and so
it is an act of our will, based on God’s will, to love others with this kind of
love. And, it is of God, who is love, so we can only love like this because of
God’s love living within us and out through us.
So, in order for us to have
this kind of love, one for another, we must first of all be in intimate relationship
with the one who is love, through faith in Jesus Christ, God the Son (the Son
of God). Thus, we must be crucified with Christ, by the Spirit of God, via
death to sin, and be resurrected with Christ, by the Spirit, to new lives in
Christ Jesus, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” This
begins when we accept God’s invitation to his great salvation through faith in Jesus
Christ, yet it is also a daily process of dying to sin and self and of
following our Lord Jesus in obedience and in surrender to his will for our
lives. To love others in this way, thus, we must be indwelt by and surrendered
to the ONE who IS LOVE.
[Eph. 4:17-24; Gal. 2:20; Ro. 6:1-23; Lu. 9:23-25;
2 Co. 5:15; Ro. 8:1-14]
Love is…
Patient
Agapē love is patient
(long-suffering). It doesn’t quit. It doesn’t give up on people, even though
they may be difficult or even hurtful towards us. We persevere in loving them,
but sometimes that means exercising tough love.
Kind
Love is kind. It is
thoughtful and demonstrates a desire to help others. Yet, telling people lies
just to make them feel good is never kind. Speaking the truth in love is kind,
because it cares more about what the other person really needs than it cares
about itself, or its own reputation, even being willing to be mistreated or
misunderstood, in return for showing love.
Not Envious
Love is not jealous (or
envious). Yet, this word translated as “jealous” can be used in both a positive
and a negative context. So, jealously is not always bad or unloving, in other
words. We can be jealous for others with a godly jealousy, wishing to see them
forsake their idolatry (adultery) and to return to their “first love” (See: 2
Co. 11:1-4). Envy, on the other hand, is bad, for it incorporates such terms as
“greed, bitterness, resentment, spite, and hatred” etc. It wants what others
have, and it will even become bitter or resentful if it does not get it, but
often this is without being willing to go the honest (right) course in order to
rightfully receive what it desires.
Not Boastful or Proud
Love does not brag (boast),
it is not arrogant (proud, conceited, puffed-up). I think those speak for
themselves. It is not full of itself, in other words.
Not Rude
Love does not act
unbecomingly. In some translations this is translated to say that love is not
rude (impolite). Yet, rudeness can be defined by the culture in which we live
and/or by tradition, and it may or may not agree with what scripture teaches.
In some cultures, it is polite to lie to people, but lying is sinful. In some cultures,
it is impolite to speak the truth in love, yet that is what scripture teaches
us we must do.
The gospel of our salvation
is an offense to those who are perishing, and so the world (or worldly church)
may consider us as being rude (impolite) because we preach the gospel, because
it offends people. Yet, we must preach the gospel, and that is agapē love. So,
we must never compromise the truth of God’s word or what he teaches us we must
do, in love, so as not to offend people.
So, rudeness must always be
defined by scripture and not by culture (not by the world). A better
translation of “does not act unbecomingly” would read that love is not
dishonorable (shameful; vile; wicked) or indecent (crude, impure, vulgar). That
makes more sense.
Unselfish
Love does not seek its own.
In other words, love is unselfish and it regards the legitimate needs
(necessities) of others above itself. It willingly gives of itself to meet
others’ needs, and is self-sacrificial, giving of time, money, resources,
energy, etc. for others.
Not Irritable
Love is not easily provoked
(not easily angered). If we are hot-headed, we can’t be acting in love.
No Tit for Tat
Love does not take into
account (keep records of) a wrong suffered; it is not resentful. This is much
like “tit for tat,” i.e. it has to do with keeping books (like a score sheet or
a ledger) for the purpose of retaliation, i.e. for evening out the score, i.e.
for getting even with others for what they do to us.
No Pleasure in Sin
Love does not rejoice in
unrighteousness (does not delight in evil). We should get no pleasure out of
the evil things people do or out of seeing evil done to others, and this
includes watching TV shows and movies where we are entertained by such evil and
even rejoice when people are killed or get their “just due.” And, we should not
take pleasure in evil (sinful) thoughts, words, or behaviors in our own lives,
for Jesus set us free from all that.
We should grieve over such
evil, not find pleasure in it. We should grieve in repentance before God if we should
commit sin, and our hearts should break over all the evil we see committed
every day in this world of ours. And, we should rejoice with the truth, even
when the truth cuts straight to the heart.
Love… All Things
Love bears all things,
believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Again, what this
says here must be defined by scripture and not by culture. This is not talking
about believing lies or being tolerant of sin or trusting in a false hope or
enduring false teaching. This is agape love, so it must be defined by how God
loves, by his character and nature, and by his holiness and righteousness. It
prefers what God prefers, so it bears, believes, hopes and endures only as God
does, and as he requires of us.
Thus, this does not refer to
anything outside the scope of what would be approved by God and for God and for
the ultimate good of others. Our beliefs and hopes must always be centered in
God and in his Word. So, we must endure trials, hardships, troubles and unjust
suffering and persecution for the sake of his name, and for the sake of the
gospel of Jesus Christ.
Love Never Fails
Human love will fail us. It
will end. That is why there are so many divorces now days. Human love ended. That
is why people murder, commit adultery, lie, cheat, and steal, etc. This is why
children turn against their parents, and parents against their children. Yes,
people sin because we are born into sin, with sin natures, but many people end
up hurting others because they didn’t know or they didn’t draw upon (tap into)
God’s love, and the human love they had didn’t hold up when temptation gave
them an alternative to love. This is one reason why there are so many lonely
and hurting people in our societies, because human love failed them at some
time or another.
Not so with God’s love,
because he is love. His love is everlasting. So, when we walk in his love, and
we allow his love to flow out through us, it will not fail to act according to
God’s will, preferring what God prefers, and doing what is in the best interest
of others, not according to human standards, but according to God’s. So, in all
things we must love God and love others as God loves us and gave himself up for
us.
Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer
Thomas O. Chisholm / W. J. Kirkpatrick
Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s
treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.
Oh, to be like Thee! full of
compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the
fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.
O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.
O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy
love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.
Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like
Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
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