And the Greatest of These is Love: Part 2
Yesterday we looked at the first part of 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8. Today we will continue to examine the rest of this passage to see how God expects us to show love to others...
1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 says..."Love is patient; love is kind. Love does not envy; does not boast; is not proud (conceited); does not act improperly (dishonor others); is not selfish; is not easily angered; it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes,, always perseveres. Love never fails. (HCSB & NIV)"
Love is NOT SELFISH: James 3:16 says,.."For where envy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every kind of evil. (HCSB)" Satan and this world try to tell us that we are #1...but God says something different. If you think about it, most arguments and fights begin because someone is being selfish and putting his/her feelings or desires before someone else's. When we argue with our spouse about money, it's because we have different plans/desires for that money than they do, and we believe our way is right. When we have disagreements or arguments with others, it's usually because something didn't go the way we thought it should. Philippians 2:3 says..."Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,...(NIV)" Wow...that is the opposite of what satan and the world wants us to believe. We are bombarded with "You gotta take care of #1" and things of that nature, but the Bible is telling us to put others above ourselves. In a marriage this is especially important because we will never get anywhere good if we are only worried about ourselves and our own selfish desires. Marriage is a constant compromise where BOTH parties have to put their spouse and family above themselves. Now that doesn't mean that you can never have "Me Time" or rest from daily routines...but it does mean that others must be considered before making decisions or plans that effect your spouse or family. If we truly put our family and others above our own selfish desires, we would get much farther in our relationships.
Love is NOT EASILY ANGERED: James 1: 19-20 says..."My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. (NIV)" Now when the Bible says "Take Note" it is an important point. Some of us have a very short fuse when it comes to anger, but God is telling us that we should be slow to become angry. It didn't say NEVER get angry...but it did say that human anger does not produce Godly righteousness. The Lord was human once and He knows that telling us to never be angry would be ridiculous, but how we RESPOND to that anger is a choice we have to make. Psalms 37: 8 says..."Refrain from anger and give up your rage; do not be agitated--it can only bring harm. (HCSB)" So human anger and rage can only bring harm! In order to refrain from anger and rage, we must give up the need to control the situation that we are in, and many of us have a lot of trouble with control. Next time you feel human, fleshly anger rising up, ask yourself how God would respond to the situation. We will have some more in a later post about how to argue or disagree in a Godly way... so come back for that one.
Love keeps NO RECORD OF WRONGS: Matthew 6:15 says..."But if you don't forgive people, your Father will not forgive your wrongdoing. (HCSB)" I don't know about YOU, but I definitely want my sin to be forgiven. This is a topic that will probably be brought up again in a later post, as well, because it is so crucial in a marriage or any relationship. In short, we have to forgive people. We have all heard the saying "forgive and forget" but the Bible doesn't say to forget. Our brains will usually not allow us to "forget" what someone has done/said to us, especially if it hurts us. I once heard a definition of forgiveness that has stuck with me ever since. Forgiveness means that you CHOOSE to never bring it back up to that person again with the intent to harm or anger them. No more throwing it in their face or rehashing it in every fight or argument. GET OVER IT and MOVE ON. So even if we can't forget, we CAN CHOOSE to forgive and NOT KEEP SCORE. When we keep a record or score of the wrongs done to us, it only causes bitterness (in us and the other party) that eats away at our heart and soul. So throw away that score board and choose to forgive and MOVE ON.
Love DOES NOT DELIGHT IN EVIL BUT REJOICES IN THE TRUTH: 1 Thessalonians 5:22 says..."Stay away from every kind of evil."Romans 12:21 says..."Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good." Proverbs 21:10 says..."A wicked person desires evil; he has no consideration for his neighbor. (All HCSB)" The Bible has so much to say about evil and fleeing from it! How do we know if something is evil though? Well if you have a relationship with Jesus and you pray and get in His word regularly, the Lord will reveal evil things to you. John 14:26 says..."But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit--the Father will send Him in My name--will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you. (HCSB)" So the Holy Spirit speaks to us and shows us what is pleasing and not pleasing to the Lord. It convicts us when we sin and shows us when we are wrong in order to help us become better Christians. So if you don't think you hear the Holy Spirit's voice, you may need to examine your relationship with Christ. If you aren't sure that you have one...feel free to click here (seeking-God?) and it will take you to the Girlfriends in God page that gives a great step-by-step plan. If you would like to actually talk with someone, you can enter your info in the comments below and I'll be happy to talk with you.
Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails: This statement is self-explanatory. As spouses, it is our duty to protect, trust, and share/instill hope into our significant other. There are times and circumstances in our marriages and families when these things are hard to do. There are so many different situations that I can think of as examples, but the bottom line is this; if we TRULY LOVE our spouse, we will always do these things. NONE OF US ARE PERFECT, therefore we ALL fail at this daily, BUT we should strive to protect them, trust them, give them hope, and persevere through the rough times...because love never fails. Some of you may have seen the picture below...but it spoke to me. It says so much about our generation. With 50% of Christian marriages ending in divorce, we HAVE to work harder at fixing the problem instead of throwing our marriages away.
1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 says..."Love is patient; love is kind. Love does not envy; does not boast; is not proud (conceited); does not act improperly (dishonor others); is not selfish; is not easily angered; it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes,, always perseveres. Love never fails. (HCSB & NIV)"
Love is NOT SELFISH: James 3:16 says,.."For where envy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every kind of evil. (HCSB)" Satan and this world try to tell us that we are #1...but God says something different. If you think about it, most arguments and fights begin because someone is being selfish and putting his/her feelings or desires before someone else's. When we argue with our spouse about money, it's because we have different plans/desires for that money than they do, and we believe our way is right. When we have disagreements or arguments with others, it's usually because something didn't go the way we thought it should. Philippians 2:3 says..."Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,...(NIV)" Wow...that is the opposite of what satan and the world wants us to believe. We are bombarded with "You gotta take care of #1" and things of that nature, but the Bible is telling us to put others above ourselves. In a marriage this is especially important because we will never get anywhere good if we are only worried about ourselves and our own selfish desires. Marriage is a constant compromise where BOTH parties have to put their spouse and family above themselves. Now that doesn't mean that you can never have "Me Time" or rest from daily routines...but it does mean that others must be considered before making decisions or plans that effect your spouse or family. If we truly put our family and others above our own selfish desires, we would get much farther in our relationships.
Love is NOT EASILY ANGERED: James 1: 19-20 says..."My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. (NIV)" Now when the Bible says "Take Note" it is an important point. Some of us have a very short fuse when it comes to anger, but God is telling us that we should be slow to become angry. It didn't say NEVER get angry...but it did say that human anger does not produce Godly righteousness. The Lord was human once and He knows that telling us to never be angry would be ridiculous, but how we RESPOND to that anger is a choice we have to make. Psalms 37: 8 says..."Refrain from anger and give up your rage; do not be agitated--it can only bring harm. (HCSB)" So human anger and rage can only bring harm! In order to refrain from anger and rage, we must give up the need to control the situation that we are in, and many of us have a lot of trouble with control. Next time you feel human, fleshly anger rising up, ask yourself how God would respond to the situation. We will have some more in a later post about how to argue or disagree in a Godly way... so come back for that one.
Love keeps NO RECORD OF WRONGS: Matthew 6:15 says..."But if you don't forgive people, your Father will not forgive your wrongdoing. (HCSB)" I don't know about YOU, but I definitely want my sin to be forgiven. This is a topic that will probably be brought up again in a later post, as well, because it is so crucial in a marriage or any relationship. In short, we have to forgive people. We have all heard the saying "forgive and forget" but the Bible doesn't say to forget. Our brains will usually not allow us to "forget" what someone has done/said to us, especially if it hurts us. I once heard a definition of forgiveness that has stuck with me ever since. Forgiveness means that you CHOOSE to never bring it back up to that person again with the intent to harm or anger them. No more throwing it in their face or rehashing it in every fight or argument. GET OVER IT and MOVE ON. So even if we can't forget, we CAN CHOOSE to forgive and NOT KEEP SCORE. When we keep a record or score of the wrongs done to us, it only causes bitterness (in us and the other party) that eats away at our heart and soul. So throw away that score board and choose to forgive and MOVE ON.
Love DOES NOT DELIGHT IN EVIL BUT REJOICES IN THE TRUTH: 1 Thessalonians 5:22 says..."Stay away from every kind of evil."Romans 12:21 says..."Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good." Proverbs 21:10 says..."A wicked person desires evil; he has no consideration for his neighbor. (All HCSB)" The Bible has so much to say about evil and fleeing from it! How do we know if something is evil though? Well if you have a relationship with Jesus and you pray and get in His word regularly, the Lord will reveal evil things to you. John 14:26 says..."But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit--the Father will send Him in My name--will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you. (HCSB)" So the Holy Spirit speaks to us and shows us what is pleasing and not pleasing to the Lord. It convicts us when we sin and shows us when we are wrong in order to help us become better Christians. So if you don't think you hear the Holy Spirit's voice, you may need to examine your relationship with Christ. If you aren't sure that you have one...feel free to click here (seeking-God?) and it will take you to the Girlfriends in God page that gives a great step-by-step plan. If you would like to actually talk with someone, you can enter your info in the comments below and I'll be happy to talk with you.
Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails: This statement is self-explanatory. As spouses, it is our duty to protect, trust, and share/instill hope into our significant other. There are times and circumstances in our marriages and families when these things are hard to do. There are so many different situations that I can think of as examples, but the bottom line is this; if we TRULY LOVE our spouse, we will always do these things. NONE OF US ARE PERFECT, therefore we ALL fail at this daily, BUT we should strive to protect them, trust them, give them hope, and persevere through the rough times...because love never fails. Some of you may have seen the picture below...but it spoke to me. It says so much about our generation. With 50% of Christian marriages ending in divorce, we HAVE to work harder at fixing the problem instead of throwing our marriages away.
Comments
Post a Comment