What Does Love Look Like?

Image result for love never fails1 Corinthians 13 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. 2 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. 3 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.4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails
Yesterday Paul explained to the Corinthians they had been given various types of spirtual gifts just as the Holy Spirit had determined.  One of the more spectaculur gifts was speaking in tongues, and another was prophesying.  The tendency in having such extraordinary gifts is they could easily lead to pride. So Paul gives the church a litmus test to guard against it.  The test is that no matter how extraordinary of a spiritual gift you possess, if you do not use it in love it is useless.    
Paul goes on to say that we can do all kinds of awesome things for God, but if they are not motivated and done in love, they are in vain.  Then, Paul gives an excellent definition of what "real love" looks like.  He says the kind of love God desires is patient, kind, not envious or boastful, not easily angered or delights in evil, but rejoices in the truth.  Notice love is an action.  You know love when you see it.  When someone does something for you out of love it feels different than when it is done out of obligation.  Paul reminds us that it is not always WHAT we give but HOW we give it.  
Finally, Paul makes an incredible promise.  He says, "LOVE NEVER FAILS".  You might say, "Wait a minute i see love failing all the time!"  But this is not God's love.  God's love was best illustrated when He sent His Only Son to the earth to save humankind from sin.  The height of Jesus' demonstration of God's love was when he willingly went to the cross to suffer and die for our sins.  Notice Jesus didn't go to the cross out of obligation, but the bible says he "laid his life down for us".  God's very essence is love.  This is why the scripture says, "God is love".  God can't ever do anything unloving, because it would go against his nature.     
So while serving God using our spiritual gifts is one of the most important purposes we have as a Christ follower without love it fails.  To the contrary, if we do something in love it can never fail.  Thank God for the love he has shown you.  When you truly receive and experience God's love you can't help but share it.   

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Acts 22 - Paul Sees the Light

Image
6  “About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.   7  I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me,  ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’  8  “‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked.  “  ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth,  whom you are persecuting,’  he replied.   9  My companions saw the light,  but they did not understand the voice  of him who was speaking to me.  10  “‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked. “  ‘Get up,’  the Lord said,  ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do. This is the famous story of the apostle Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus.  Paul was going there to persecute Jewish Christians and throw them into prison and he meets Jesus is a spectacular way.  Not only is he blinded by a briliant light, but he hears the Lord's voice audibly.  And the Lord asks him, "Lord, Lord why a...
Read more

Hebrews 6 - Have You Graduated From Elementary School of Faith Yet?

Click Here to Read or Listen to Hebrews 6 6 Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so. The author once again picks up with the theme of moving on to Christian maturity.  He teaches them to move on from the "elementary" teachings about Christ. What does he mean by that?  He gives clues by citing repentance, faith, cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, and teaching on the judgment and resurrection from the dead. We might call these the basics of the Christian faith. If you read through the Apostle's Creed, which our church confesses in our 8am service, it contains many of these core doctrines.  Click here to see the Apostle's Creed Written Around “When we consider the...
Read more

2 Timothy 4 - Fight the Good Fight! Finish the Race!

Click Here to Read or Listen to 2 Timothy 4 4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. Paul gives a closing charge to Timothy. First of all, he is to preach the word. God's Word speaks to all situations and seasons. The Word of God will sometimes correct us. Our lives can get of out alignment with God's will as outlined in ...
Read more