....But I do
Have you ever really thought about 1 Corinthians 13, the passage that talks about what love is? And have you ever asked yourself how well you fit into the description of love? Have you ever thought to yourself...."yeah I'm a loving person." or "I know what love is." Really? Are you? Do you?
Here is a definition of Love;
Here is a definition of Love;
Love is patient
Love is kind
Love does not envy
Love does not boast
Love is not proud
Love does not dishonor others
Love is not self-seeking
Love is not easily angered
Love keeps no record of wrongs
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth
Love always protects
..always trusts
..always hopes
..always perseveres
Love never fails
As I was driving home late one night I was listening to a couple of people on the radio, talk about love and 1 Corinthians 13. They suggested--if you've ever wondered whether or not you are a loving person--taking that passage (2 Cor. 13) and replacing the word "love" with your own name. How far do you think you will be able to get and be telling the truth?
Lets see in my own life....
Rose is patient
Rose is kind
Rose does not envy
(see....already this list is just a lie)
Rose does not boast
Rose is not proud
Rose does not dishonor others
Rose is not self-seeking
Rose is not easily angered
Rose keeps no record of wrongs
Rose does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth
Rose always protects
..always trusts
..always hopes
..always perseveres
Rose never fails
Wow. I fail at loving. To love is to be patient and kind, and not envious, and not boastful, and not prideful, and not rude, and not self-seeking, and not easily angered. To love means not keeping record of wrongs(a.k.a grudges) and not delighting in evil, but rejoicing with the truth. Love means you always protecting, always trusting, always hoping, always persevering....and never ever fail.
....Looking at this definition of love, I have to be honest with myself....I don't think I have ever truly loved anyone. I know that I have made a lot of half-hearted, poor, lousy attempts at loving. But that is it.
Here is another thought; Try replacing the word "love" with Jesus.
Jesus is patient
Jesus is kind
Jesus does not envy
Jesus does not boast
Jesus is not proud
Jesus does not dishonor others
Jesus is not self-seeking
Jesus is not easily angered
Jesus keeps no record of wrongs
Jesus does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth
Jesus always protects
..always trusts
..always hopes
..always perseveres
Jesus never fails
Woah! It totally works! And do you know why? Because, Jesus IS the definition of Love! And the hard truth is...if we don't know Jesus there is no possible way for us to love anyone or anything with a 1 Corinthians 13 kind of love....a Jesus kind of Love.
I realize this is really hard to take in, and for some of us it just makes us want to give up, or not even try. It sounds too hard! But we are commanded to love! John 13:34 || "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." And if we are commanded to love, we need to know HOW to love right?
Our world today has really screwed up what our idea of love is. Love isn't a feeling, and its generally not something that just happens. Love, as we see in 1 Corinthians, is an action. Its a choice. It's something you do! Gods word is full of verses about love. 1 John 3:18 says "Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth."
1 Cor. 13:1-3 says "If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing."
Wait, why is it so important to love again? God has called us to be Christians for two primary reasons: To love Him, and then to love others. We were not called to be "Christians" just for our own good, but to be vessels of God's Love. God's Love is a way that others can know and see that we are, indeed, Christians. John 13:35 || "By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another ." 1 Peter 4:8 says, "Above all things have fervent Love among yourselves; for Love shall cover the multitude of sins."
We are called to be like God; and God is love, therefor we must love. But, I know I can't do it in my flesh.
The answer is to be so saturated with God that His love would overflow through me. I know I'm not always patient, but God is...so if I am "in Him" I have His patience. Ultimately, it looks like this:
Rose abiding in Christ is patient.
Rose abiding in Christ is kind
Rose abiding in Christ knows no envy
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