I Corinthians 13: 4-7
We learned how important it is to love one another, now we're going to see what that love looks like.
Love is patient,
It "suffers long." This is makrothymeō in the Greek. It means to be "long-spirited;" to have "long patience, to patiently endure." Never give up.
love is kind
The Greek word is chrēsteuomai which is translated as "to show oneself useful, or act benevolently; to be kind."
and is not envious;
This word is zēloō in the Greek, which means, "to covet earnestly; to move with envy." When we love someone, we're not going to scheme to take from him what he has for ourselves.
love does not brag
"Vaunteth not itself," essentially, to not be a braggart.
and is not arrogant,
Not haughty, does not "puff up" himself with pride. The Greek word here,
physioō, gives the idea of "inflating by blowing" it up, like a balloon.
does not act unbecomingly;
"Unseemly," aschēmoneō, in an inappropriate way; not in keeping with established standards of taste or proper form. When we love one another, we would not want to embarrass one another with indecorous behavior.
it does not seek its own,
This is zēteō, "to seek," as to worship God, or negatively, to plot against a life. A very strong word; we are not to go after what would be for our own selves, to worship ourselves by putting our own benefit primary in life, rather than what would help the one loved.
is not provoked,
This is, paroxynō, to not easily get exasperated or stirred up.
does not take into account a wrong suffered,
King James Version says, thinketh no evil, so this would be to put a positive frame around what was a negative occurrence. To rethink a slight or an insult, as Joseph told his brothers that he knew that they meant to harm him, but God meant it to save all their lives.
does not rejoice in unrighteousness,
"Rejoice," chairō, means to be happy about, cheerful, as a greeting. We are not to happily welcome into our lives what is adikia, "legal injustice; or wrongfulness of character, life, or act." We are doing no favor to anyone to allow ourselves to give an "atta-boy" to someone who has an immoral lifestyle. It's unhealthy and hurtful to oneself and the whole society he lives in.
but rejoices with the truth;
But we are to sygchairō, "congratulate, to gladly sympathize" with alētheia, "truth, verity." What is in alignment with how God designed this environment to work, and how we can cooperate with it is the truth of any situation.
And God is Love, so how He wants us to relate with one another is also with love, with wanting the very best for the other, regardless of what it costs us.
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
The "all things" is pas, which includes "all, every, the whole, whatsoever, whosoever." The whole ball of wax.
"Bears" is stegō, "to roof over, to cover with silence, to endure patiently." All things.
"Believes" is pisteuō, "to trust completely, implicitly, without reservation." All things.
"Hopes" is elpizō, "to anticipate with pleasure, expectation with confidence." All things.
"Endures" is hypomenō, "to stay under (behind), to bear with (trials), have fortitude, persevere, endure, take patiently." All things.
No matter what happens, no matter what people do to us, no matter how they may mistreat us and slander us and use and abuse us; if we love them with God's Love, then it will make no difference in how we treat them.
We tend to treat those who love us much better than we treat those who don't like us. Or those we think don't like us.
But if we love people as God Loves people, and is good to us and gives His own Best and most Precious for us while we're still sinners, then that will take God's Holy Spirit in us loving them through us.
Love never fails.
This is why Love never fails, God's Love. That's why we need God's Spirit in us to love others as He Loves us. This is not in us naturally, it is not mere human love; it is God Loving others through us.
O my Father, You have Loved us with such an expansive, glorious, unlimited, extreme Love! Please teach us Your children how to love one another as You Love us. Show us how to display Your Spirit of Love even in the face of insults and betrayals and abuse.
Father, show us how to respect the temple we are, while remaining true to Your Truth, and to love the perpetrators even as we call them out on their unrighteousness.
Father, what goes against how You made us and our Earth actually hurts us and our World. We have destroyed so much of our environment, and so much of our own health and well-being, in turning to man for what is processed and artificial instead of what You have generously provided for us right here.
And, Father, how we treat one another in our cities and neighborhoods and online is so harmful to ourselves and one another. Please grant us healing and compassion for one another. Teach us how to apply these concepts You have given us in these verses. This is the only way we will be able to do right by one another and ourselves and where we live.
Cause our love for one another to show the World around us that Jesus really did come to be one of us, to be our Savior and Redeemer and King. And also our Judge.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus of Nazareth is our Lord God Almighty, our Sovereign King, to the glory of Almighty God the Father, forever.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
