Sometimes we may need to look at such things from the opposite point of view to jar us into a deeper understanding of what we are wanting to grasp or grow deeper in. That is what I would like to do this morning.
We have heard 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 many, many times. We have heard it in church, in stories, at weddings and on the radio. In fact, we may all have come to the point where we tune it out because we have heard it so many times. We think of those verses as what love is but I want to share them from a different perspective.
Before I do that, what we do not often hear is the 3 verses that begin chapter 13. I will share those here.
Chapter 13, verses 1-3: "If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophesy and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge and if I had such faith that I could move mountains but didn't love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing."
We are told we can be great and do great things but none of that matters if we don't love those around us. We are told nothing is more valuable that loving others. We know if we were to choose one thing to do, it would be to love. If we were to choose one thing to become, it would be to become a loving person. But what is love? If you were to choose to be loving and to love the people around you, what would that look like?
Scripture continues in verses 4-7 telling us what love is. This is where, in some cases, I have taken another path alerting us to what love is not. I hope to awaken us to a new interest in some old words we have heard so many times that we may have become deaf to them.
Love is NOT impatient.
Love is NOT unkind.
Love is NOT jealous.
Love is NOT boastful.
Love is NOT proud.
Love is NOT rude.
Love does NOT demand it's own way.
Love is NOT irritable.
Love does NOT keep a list of wrongs done.
Love does NOT rejoice when others are wronged or are not treated fairly.
Love does NOT rejoice when truth does not win.
Love does NOT give up.
Love does NOT lose faith.
Love does NOT lose hope.
Love does NOT quit or give up in any circumstance.
IF WE...
...are impatient toward others
...are unkind to people
...are jealous
...brag and boast about what we have or have done
...are proud or think we are better than others
...are rude
...just have to get and have things our own way
...are easily annoyed or angry
...keep a list of everything that has been done wrong to us or are unforgiving
...are happy when bad things happen to others
...are happy when good things happen because of lies or deceit
...give up on others or on right things
...stop believing in others and good things
...stop believing anything good will come of things or ever change for the better
...give up too easy or if we too easily quit trying
If we do the things love is not as listed above aren't we are in direct conflict with what love is? Let me ask you if you claim to love yet live the things love is not, do you really love? If you are impatient, rude, jealous, keep a list of things done wrong to you or desire to get even, are you really a loving person?
If we return to the first three verses we know we can be anything yet be nothing. We can be a CEO, a world leader, a big time author, a mom or dad, or can claim great accomplishments but if we are not loving people who live loving those around us, then our pride and bragging are nothing but a lot of senseless noise. Pride and worth set in things other than love have no value. If we are to strive for anything, strive for something of great value and great impact. Strive for something that matters and makes the world a better place. Strive to love.
Here is a phrase I used to end these blogs with but haven't in quite a while. It seems appropriate for today...
LOVE SOMEBODY. LOVE EVERYBODY.
Strive to love and be loving and see what will become of it!