1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient, Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
In these four (4) short verses in Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, God tells us what true Christian love is, what it is not, and what it always does. This verse of scripture speaks primarily of our Love for God, extending to all humankind.
We proclaim our love to people all the time, and we hear from other people that they love us. It is always a blessing to hear from someone that we are loved and even more of a blessing when we proclaim to someone else that we love them. How does this proclaimed love stack up against the scale of love in this verse of scripture? Worldly love comes from our emotions; it depends on how we feel towards someone at that particular time. Sincere Christian love has nothing to do with emotion; it comes from a heart and soul surrendered to Christ Jesus. Paul is not telling us how love feels; he describes what true Christian love looks like in action.
First of all, God tells us that love is patient and kind. True Christian love does not seek revenge because Christian love is unconditional. There are eight (8) things spoken of here that true Christian love is not. First, it does not envy; it does not see the success of someone and begrudge them their blessings from God. It does not seek after and does not believe that I deserve those blessings more than others. Although the World sees envy as a minor sin, it is one of the least fruitful and beneficial and most destructive and adverse of all sins. Second, envy led to the first murder when Cain killed his brother Able (Genesis 4:3-10); Joseph's brothers were envious of him, which led his brothers to sell him into slavery (Genesis 37:11,28). Third, envy led to the Jewish leaders handing Jesus over to the Roman government (Matthew 27:18).
True Christian Love is not prideful or boastful. Many examples of Christian Love do not boast and do not seek their honor and glory. However, a good example is from a story told of William Carey, the founder of the modern missionary field. It is said of Brother Carey that he was attending a formal dinner party once in London. A snobby English aristocrat attempted to insult him by telling him that he heard that he was once a shoemaker. To which Brother Carry replied, "no, your Lordship, I was only a cobbler." This illustration is also a great example of a love that is not self-seeking. He did not try to dishonor the wealthy gentleman that tried to belittle him; he showed that humility is not a weakness but strength under control, in the case of Brother Carry under the power of the indwelling of God's Holy Spirit.
As weak, frail humans, there will inevitably come a time when we act towards another human being in a manner that we need to ask for forgiveness. Anger is a natural human response when one feels like someone has done them wrong, and sometimes in the eyes of the World hard to forget or forgive. True Christian Love does not keep a scorecard of wrongdoings and does not become angered by a misstep of another human being. True Christian Love does not seek after the evil of this World but is delighted and joyful in the truth of the gospel of Christ Jesus.
Lastly, true Christian love will always be a safe harbor for any that sails into its port. It always places its faith, trust, and hope in the saving grace of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus. True Love for Christ Jesus will always persevere; it does not give up when problems arise because it knows about the greatest love that human words cannot describe, the Love God has for His children (John 3:16; Romans 5:3; Hebrews 12:1-2; James 1:2-3).
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