I am sharing the following 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians with you, so you may see the whole picture of what the Lord has guided me to share with you. Love of self is a given, given to us by the Lord through Christ. Love is what he desires to live and show through us to others to draw them to himself. For true life is nothing of self, and everything of him (Christ). The following goes into the depths he desires us to live in faith by. For the deeper we die to self and allow him to live through, the more wonderful and amazing the blessings of truth, knowledge, love, peace, joy and all the fruits of the Spirit we receive in return. Not that we seek to give to him to receive, but that we know the joy that comes from giving and seeing others come to him and receive their salvation and live the true life he has given us all through his grace. What a run-on sentence�lol..well word doesn�t say it is one�so I guess Im ok..lol
1If I speak in the tongues[a] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If 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 have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,[b] but have not love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
My heart yearns for all to understand the love of Christ and the life he desires to live through us. I know that many do and or have done many things in life which have went against the desires of our heart in having lasting relations in him. We think we know what love is and how to love, but do we really? All too often we will get caught up in self desires and thinking we know what is his will. Then end up destroying the relationships we so dearly desire and are lead to. Not realizing what we are doing.
We inter into relationships with so many expectations of one another. Expecting one another to always measure up in each and every area (we think) they should. We requiring their perfection in all things, according to our own thinking, and settling for nothing less. Our own thinking becomes our God so to speak, leaving no room for God�s grace. The grace and qualities which he has shown us, and given us all through Christ. The qualities, of forgiveness, mercy, understanding, and unconditional love, etc..All of which, he lived in demonstrastion for us, in how we should live to have lasting relationships. Christ is all about forever, and too manytimes we are about me now. Giving no true thought or value to our words, and actions, which destroy the true goals of our heart, which he started.
We all desire to please him and one another. Truth is though, we will not always do everything which pleases one another. Truth also is that we will even do things from time to time which hurt one another. All too often we take each one of these negative things and began keeping score so to speak in our own minds. We start getting to the point to were we even expect them to do these things, thus forcing the very things we don�t want to happen to happen. In other words we take on a mindset of negativity towards them, building a wall between them and ourselves. It is as if we love and desire to bring forward how wrong they are, making ourselves look and appear so right. When in truth, we are truly the wrong ones who are destroying the relation, instead of lifting up the other no matter what, just as God did for us through Christ.
Love in all the forms designed by our Heavenly Father, when followed leads to relationships far more amazing then we could ever imagine. Only if we could understand, and then trust him faith, allowing him to live them all through us. What a glorious world this would be! The following verses 4-7 are his guidance for us to allow him to live through us.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love is patient- just like our heavenly Father who shows us his own patiences, waiting for us to realize the error of our own ways and our need for Christ. May we take on the same undying patience for others.
Love is kind- Just like our Heavenly Father who shows us kindness, reguardless of our actions. His kindness of sending his one and only Son to bridge the gap between us and himself once and for all. May we show kindness reguardless of others actions, bridging gaps, not creating them.
Love is not self-seeking or easly angered, and keeps no records of wrongs- Through Christ�s death for us, not for himself. God demonstrated it is not himself he loves but us. Through his sons death, there is no record of our wrongs. In our professed love for him and desire to die to self and give our life him. May no value be placed in their wrongs, and they be encouraged knowing this value too of our precious Lord.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth- Just as the Lord does not delight in our evils and letting them prove how good and righteous he is, and how wrong we are. He rejoices with truth, the truth of our salvation through Christ. May our hearts find only delight in rejoicing in the truth of our salvation, but more over, the truth of others salvation.
Now for verse 7 It (love) always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres:
Always Protects- Definition: To keep from being damaged, attacked, stolen, or injured; guard. Meaning we always look out for others. The word (Always) does not mean as we see fit, or when we want to, or etc�it means ALWAYS�just as he always protects us. You say how does he protect us? He has already done it. Our salvation is secure! Others should you will never damage, attack, steel, or injure or do or allow if at all possible anything to come against them. Pretty extreme you might be thinking, but Christ did the ultimate extreme protection for us. May we do the same for him for others.
Always Trusts- Definition: reliance on another person or entity. Witout trust how there be a relationship? Again I know to ALWAYS trust another can be very difficult, especially if they continue to do the wrong thing or make the same mistake over and over again. Then again, to not have trust, only distroys, separates, and ends all possiblities. Once again we are guided and told to always trust inorder to edify one another. Always trusting can lead another to try and not give up. Once again, showing and proving how just like Christ gave his life for us, we can give ours to him and others. Christ said in matthew, he who holds onto his life will loose his life, but he gives up his life for me will gain life.
Always Hopes- (Definition: the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best) The Lord never lost hope. Proof is he sent Christ to die for us all, so that through him (ALL) may be saved by their faith in him. May his undying hope live through us to all, (Always), not just when it suites us.
Always Perseveres- (Definition: To persist in or remain constant to a purpose, idea, or task in the face of obstacles or discouragement).
Once again God in his effort to persevere continues steadfast, and always with us no matter what. We may not feel him there or like the situations we find ourselves going through at times, but he is persevering with us, knowing that what we are going through is guiding us right where he desires us to be. He is always speaking to our hearts, even though we may not be listening or open to receive his guidance. His persistence is continuous forever�.
I know many of you may be thinking, we don�t live in a perfect world. No, we don�t live in a perfect world, but we do live in a perfect Christ, who can do all things through us. Christ living in us and we dead to self, finds us in no need for self protection, but all faith in his guidance for his perfect will. Without, us stepping out of self totally, we can not totally receive the fullness of grace, and the joy of all he desires to live through us to others, revealing his full grace to all.
To conclude, Paul is teaching us the ways of our Heavenly Father, lived out through Christ, which endure forever and always�He is guiding us to the mature steps of faith in Christ, where full faith (Always Protects Others), (Always Trusting for his best for others), (Always Hoping for others), and (Always Persevering for others) knowing in total faith his perfect will is being done, even if it is death, and until death. For a life for self is only death, but life in him is truly a blessing, which grows, matures, and endures to his full purpose for our lives. The full purpose of him living through us in ALL his truth, building lasting relationships in him and of him which endure forever�.
