PURSUED BY LOVE

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8. The greatest of these is love

 

Those who love will thereby be fulfilling the Law of God. Those who love God will not think to have other gods or take His Name in vain. Those who love man would not fail to honour father and mother, would not steal from, still less murder a fellow human being.

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

With endless longsuffering and kindness, the Holy Spirit sought to win us. He expends His love on us. It is this love of the Holy Spirit whereby shedding abroad of love in our hearts becomes possible, love ought to shine forth in our lives. Without this love for God, we are nothing. We may be willing to do great things for God, make great sacrifices, be pious and generous. Despite what is but an outward veneer of love all that we do and say will then be cankered, sin-eaten, decayed.

"Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

In these verses the Apostle Paul describes the nature of love, the way expresses itself.

Love suffereth long: is slow to anger, patiently endures when oppressed or provoked.

Love is kind: gentle, tender, affectionate, courteous, not harsh or ill-natured. Those who love others will be desirous of doing others good, not anxious to bring them down or do them harm in any way.

Love does not envy, has not an ardent desire against any person. It delights in the welfare of others, not envying their rank or reputation, their health, wealth or anything they possess, their learning nor anything in which they excel or are more favoured than we are, but recognize that all these things ultimately come from God.

Love vaunteth not itself. It does not boast of self, having the idea of superiority over others, holding them in contempt and disregard in view of their own position or achievements. If we love, then we will have a high regard for others treating them with esteem and affection not boasting of our own qualities.

Love is not puffed up. It is not inflated with pride, vanity and boastfulness.

Love doth not behave itself unseemly. It behaves in a manner that is beyond reproach as is in no way improper. This includes proper respect and behaviour in all our relations with others. It avoids profane language, vulgarity, course and indecent expressions.

Love seeketh not her own. God’s love urges us to seek the welfare of others as a priority, even if this means personal self-sacrifice and self-denial rather than promote our own worth.  

Love is not easily provoked. Those who are loving will be generally calm, serious, patient and not given to sudden outbursts of anger.

Love thinketh no evil. Those under the influence of love will not be malicious, censorious, disposed to find fault or impute to others improper or evil motives.

Love rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth. It does not take delight when others are found guilty of committing some crime or sin, or have perhaps disgraced and ruined themselves. Nor does it take malicious pleasure in seeing that a report of the same is widely published. Instead, it will rejoice in the virtue, piety and goodness of another. It will be glad when they prosper and do well.

Linked to this is that fact that love beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things. Beareth all things: Rather than publicize the faults and imperfections of others it is inclined to hide or conceal them wherever possible and certainly not to revenge them. Believeth all things: love in respect to the conduct of others is always prepared to put the best possible construction on things. Love hopeth all things: in other words, however it may appear that someone may have behaved improperly, yet there remains the hope that there will be an adequate explanation and it will remain until such a possibility has disappeared.

Finally, love endureth all things. Whatever may be done to us at the hand of others: injury to person property, reputation, whatever it may be, love bears up under whatever treatment comes from our fellow men.

“For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” (1 Corinthians 13:12-13)

The shedding abroad of love, its glowing fire in our hearts is the eternal work of the Holy Spirit. Love, faith, hope are God’s most precious gifts to us, but love surpasses the others in preciousness. All spiritual gifts are precious, but love is the greatest. Love will abide forever, but not faith or hope. Faith becomes sight: “walk by faith not sight”. Faith is the evidence of things not seen, but it does not continue when we see face to face. Paul says the same of hope:
“For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?” (Romans 8:24). Faith and hope are not abiding elements. Love is for eternity.

A Christian without love is a contradiction of terms. It is a deception and hypocrisy. It is a horrible sin to disguise a life without love, a loveless heart under the name ‘Christian’. Equally, no one can be a Christian without faith: faith to remove mountains; faith the evidence of things not seen. Yet faith without love is worthless. There is not faith without hope, but no hope without love. Love is the greatest by reason of its endurance.

“This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:12-13)

 

NEXT THE SUFFERING OF LOVE

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