I had promised myself I’d be done with the topic of loveafter 11 weeks on 1 Corinthians 13, but my curiosity has led me to exploreanother perspective. In leading up to Easter, I wanted to write about God. Onething we all know about God is that “God is Love” (1 John 4:8).That is straight out of the Bible, so that prompted me to do a search to findout when the first use of the word love occurs in the Bible. Boy was Isurprised! Of course it depends on the translation, but in the NIV, the firsttime love is mentioned is in the context of having sex (I guess I have yourattention now!). Adam made love to his wife, then Cain made love to his wife,then Adam made love to his wife again! Throughout the book of Genesis, love isreferenced in relationships—Abraham and Sarah, Abraham and Isaac, Isaac andRebekah, Isaac and Esau, Rebekah and Jacob, Jacob and Rachel, Jacob/Israel andJoseph. There is also a reference to Jacob’s love of meat. The first referenceI found for God’s love was when Moses claimed God’s love for his people afterGod parted the Red Sea so they could escape from Egypt. “In your unfailing love you will lead thepeople you have redeemed” (Exodus 15:13 NIV). But, note that the KJV substitutes “mercy” forunfailing love and the ESV substitutes “kindness.”

You may recall that in the Chaplain’s corner for January 16 Iincluded a definition of love, as follows: TheGreek language has at least four words for “love:” Eros (sexual love), philia(brotherly love and affection), storge (family love), and agape love. Agapelove is the type of love that is described in 1 Corinthians, and is sometimestranslated “charity.” It is a “self-giving love that loves without demanding orexpecting repayment. It is a love so great that can be given to the unlovableor unappealing. It gives because it loves; it does not love in order toreceive. It has much to do with self-denial for the sake of another.”*

What all of this leads me to believe about God’s love for usis that it is a love that is explained by what he does for us more than how hefeels or what he says. In observing and benefitting from his actions, we thenknow that he is, indeed, love.

God is Creator. He is sovereign. He is just. He is holy,holy, holy. There is none like Him. God didn’t have to make us, but He did. Hedidn’t have to make us in his image, but He did. He didn’t have to breathe His lifeinto us, but He did. He didn’t have to provide a covering for us when wedisobeyed–first of animal skins and then of the blood of the lamb and then ofthe blood of the Lamb–but He did. This is how He showed His love for us. Hedidn’t have to express it in words, although the writers in the Bible who wroteof God’s love were certainly inspired by Him. His actions are more than enoughto demonstrate his great love for us.

In the weeks leading up to Easter Sunday, let us remember howgreat is our God, and how great is His love for us. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begottenSon, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlastinglife” (John 3:16).

*Words in quotes from this reference: https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/guzik_david/StudyGuide2017-1Cr/1Cr-13.cfm

In Christ,

Judy

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” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a.

The “always perseveres” part of this passage refers to agape love that never gives up, which is impossible without encouragement from the Holy Spirit. No matter how hard we try or how hard anyone else tries, in this life we will always fail, we will always disappoint. We are human, we are fallen. While as believers we are saints, that does not mean we don’t sin. When we sin, we repent, we seek forgiveness from God and each other, and we forgive others when they sin. Always. This is persevering. Always seeking to obey, always seeking to love, always seeking to forgive.

We can do this because God is love. And the love of God is eternal; it will never fail. One of these days, the world as we know it will end. ^“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare”2 Peter 3:10. The only thing that will remain is God and his saints.

”Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” 2 Peter 3:11-13.

This righteousness is God. God is love, and as the psalmist sings in Psalm 136, “his steadfast love endures forever.” Take time to read this beautiful psalm. Don’t just skip through the repetitions. Dwell on these wonderful promises.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.

² Give thanks to the God of gods,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.

³ Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

⁴ to him who alone does great wonders,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
⁵ to him who by understanding made the heavens,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
⁶ to him who spread out the earth above the waters,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
⁷ to him who made the great lights,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
⁸ the sun to rule over the day,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
⁹ the moon and stars to rule over the night,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

¹⁰ to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
¹¹ and brought Israel out from among them,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
¹² with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
¹³ to him who divided the Red Sea in two,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
¹⁴ and made Israel pass through the midst of it,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
¹⁵ but overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
¹⁶ to him who led his people through the wilderness,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

¹⁷ to him who struck down great kings,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
¹⁸ and killed mighty kings,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
¹⁹ Sihon, king of the Amorites,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
²⁰ and Og, king of Bashan,
  for his steadfast love endures forever;
²¹ and gave their land as a heritage,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
²² a heritage to Israel his servant,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.

²³ It is he who remembered us in our low estate,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
²⁴ and rescued us from our foes,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
²⁵ he who gives food to all flesh,
  for his steadfast love endures forever.

²⁶ Give thanks to the God of heaven,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.

I pray that you will be always and forever blessed by the love of our God of Heaven.

In Christ,

Judy

“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” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.

The Greek word used here means “to believe, place faith in, or trust.” I really like how the website www.gotquestions.org explains this passage:

“Those who love will always ‘believe’ in the other person. There is no second-guessing or questioning of whether the person should be loved. Love is simply given. It is unconditional. The loved one does not need to perform anything or achieve a certain goal in order to be loved. Just as Christ loves His children unconditionally, He calls us to love others. Love is based on who He is, not on what others do.

A person with God’s type of love will ‘always trust.’ That is, he will not be suspicious of the one he loves. He will be slow to believe any damaging news concerning the loved one and will always give the benefit of the doubt. Whatever the situation, love is ready to trust. To trust someone means that you are ‘ever ready to believe the best’ (AMP) of him or her. The loved one may have a checkered past or be in some other way undeserving of trust, yet true love is able to look past that and meet the need of the individual. Mistrust, cageyness, and suspicion are at odds with godly love.

If brothers and sisters in Christ would believe in one another, setting suspicion aside and extending unconditional love, what a difference it would make in the church! When our focus is on Christ, we can show His love to meet the needs of others.”

I was not a perfect kid, but I was pretty good. I believe that one of the reasons is that my parents not only set a good example for me, they always believed in me and had high hopes for me. I remember my Dad telling me once that he was confident that I would make the right decision about something because I was a leader. I remember being shocked. Me, a leader? I had never thought of myself in that way. Dad saw something in me that I had not seen in myself, and he instilled into me something that he believed I could aspire to. That’s a lesson I never forgot. He believed and saw potential in me.

Again, the website www.gotquestions.org really explains this passage perfectly:

“Part of showing love is hoping, and part of hoping is seeing the potential of others. As Goethe said, ‘If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming.’ In love, we can always be hopeful and show confidence in others. This does not rule out confrontation or the redress of wrongs, but the impact of a positive attitude in the life of another person is incalculable.

How many times in the Old Testament did Israel fail God? Yet their failure was never final. Love never says die. Peter failed Jesus, yet the Lord restored him. The Corinthians failed Paul in some ways, yet the apostle, in love, patiently corrected them and called them ‘sanctified’ (1 Corinthians 1:2). Love always points to a brighter day ahead. Love is the lifeline that the hurting can hold on to.

If you have ever had a person believe in you and share a hopeful attitude for your future, then you have experienced some of what 1 Corinthians 13:7 teaches. As long as there is love, there will be hope.”

If you had someone who believed in you, then it is your responsibility to pay it forward. If you did not, then it’s time to break the cycle.

In Christ,

Judy

“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”  1 Corinthians 13:4-6 (NIV).

This underlined sentence (Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth) is a type of literary structure that restates itself in an opposite way for emphasis. So in other words, it’s saying the same thing twice, but in a different way—for emphasis.

According to Webster, the word “delight” means “high degree of gratification or pleasure, joy; also extreme satisfaction. The word “rejoice” means “to give joy to or to gladden”, so we can say that they mean essentially the same thing. Here’s a verse where both words are used:

“Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord and delight in his salvation” Psalm 35:9.

We know that God is love (1 John 4:8), and if we love God, we should love what He loves and hate what he hates (Psalm 97:10). God hates evil. In a speech by Franklin Graham, he says this about hate: “The only things I believe the Bible says we should hate are the very things God hates:”

• “There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers” (Proverbs 6:16-19).
• “Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good” (Romans 12:9).
• “The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate” (Proverbs 8:13).
• “The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence” (Psalm 11:5).
• “O you who love the Lord, hate evil!” (Psalm 97:10).

Jesus describes himself as the truth (John 14:6). Jesus wasn’t afraid to call Satan what he is: a liar and the father of lies. Jesus said, “There is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44). 

I believe that in this passage, Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth, we learn that a very important attribute of love is scrupulous honesty. God hates evil; he describes Satan as the father of lies. Truth and dishonesty are mutually exclusive; that is, if there is a lie, there is no truth, and if there is truth, there is no dishonesty. The very first tenet in the Mission’s Code of Conduct is Honesty, and it is the foundation of every other tenet. Honesty is essential to integrity, or wholeness. As the Scripture reads, “I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent” (1 Chronicles 29:17).

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten Season. Many who observe Lent do so by giving up something; however, the key to observing Lent is to focus on repenting of sin and consecrating oneself to God. Let us observe this holy time leading up to Easter showing our love for God and for each other by striving to be completely honest in all our ways, while also demonstrating all the attributes of agape love that we have been learning about.

In Christ,

Judy

“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.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 (NIV)

Have you ever lived or worked with someone around whom you had to tiptoe—literally and figuratively? You had to watch every word to be sure you didn’t set them off? There was no grace for a slip up. That’s a miserable existence. I know at times I have been guilty of “wearing my feelings on my sleeve,” so even though my reaction might have been sulking rather than anger, anger usually eventually resulted. I’m not proud of that, and I believe I have matured so that I’m not so sensitive.

Interactions between human beings are so complex. They are based on our histories, our perceptions, our biases and prejudices. We learn to be intuitive and to try to understand each other based on all sorts of cues, which is admirable. But many times we also read into these interactions messages that were never intended, especially when we have been building up that history, or record, of times that we were hurt or wronged.

We should not provoke others to anger, and we should not be easily provoked. We should seek to really understand and we should assume best intentions. After all, isn’t that how we want to be treated? The Golden Rule is really about how we treat each other in love.

“Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.” Ecclesiastes 7:9 (NIV)

In Christ,

Judy

“⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.⁵It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking….” 1 Corinthians 13:4-5.

I think there is a reason that these two attributes of what love is not are placed together: love does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking. Here’s what I mean. Have you ever been in a prayer meeting when you hear something like this: “We need to put Brother Joe on the prayer list. I was at his house bringing some food over because you know he got fired and they don’t have any money coming in now.”

What is the intended message? Is it that I want you to know how good I am for bringing food over? Is it that I want you to know Joe must have done something bad at work? It’s really questionable if the intended message was really about needing to display some compassion and help for Joe.

This is similar to the “bless her heart” way that we talk about others, seemingly in a way that makes us look holy but during which we manage to get in some kind of put-down. “Bless her heart, she has never been able to manage those kids.” Sorry, but I think we all see through that one.

The cure is to be sure that our motivations are pure whenever we are talking about anyone. It follows what we talked about in the Chaplain’s Corner last week about boasting and pride. As an attribute of love and therefore a fruit of the spirit, being others-centered requires the ongoing help of the Holy Spirit. We are most like Jesus when our motivation is others-centered rather than self-centered.

In Christ,

Judy

 “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.”  1 Corinthians 13:4 (NIV)

Here we are, the day before Valentine’s Day, writing about love.

So what does “not boasting” or “not being proud” have to do with love? Everything. Boasting and being proud demonstrate love of self, while Valentine’s Day celebrates romantic love for another. However, romantic love is not what this passage in 1 Corinthians is about. It is about agape love, which is “a love that loves without demanding or expecting repayment. It gives because it loves; it does not love in order to receive. It has much to do with self-denial for the sake of another. Agape love is a spiritual love that we cannot have unless we have the Holy Spirit. Agape love is the supreme fruit of the Holy Spirit. Agape love is the love that Jesus displayed toward each of us.”*

If we truly love others, then we are constantly putting them first rather than trying to exalt ourselves through boasting. If we truly love God, then like Paul, we only have one thing to boast about and that is the cross of Christ through which we have been saved (Galatians 6:14). If we truly love God, then we put away our idols of the heart, including pride in our own accomplishments, and instead give all the glory to Him.

This is what puts the “radical” in our core value of Radical Hospitality, or any radical demonstration of God’s love for that matter. Let’s go “all out” and be radical in our love, consciously exalting God, each other, and all those we serve.

In Christ,

Judy

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy…” 1 Corinthians 13:4 (NIV).

In 1 Corinthians 13, after explaining that love is patient and kind, the Apostle Paul then goes on to list eight qualities that love is not. The first “anti-quality” of love is envy. Love does not envy.

We have probably all experienced envy. The range of the experience of envy is broad, from a light-hearted comment about wishing we had a new car like Tom’s, to a very bitter sense of envy that would cause us to allow harm to someone, such as the example in Genesis when Joseph’s brothers allowed him to be taken to Egypt as a slave because of their envy over his relationship with their father.

I know I used to experience envy very frequently, and still do sometimes if I am honest. I see someone with something I would like to have, or I see someone who has achieved something that I wish I could have achieved, and I wish it could be me. And thin people—well, I just don’t want to go there….

Besides the fact that envy is a waste of mental energy, makes us feel sorry for ourselves, and can drive us to some unhealthy behaviors, it is seen here as the opposite of love. Love does not envy. How can that be?

Envy is an unloving behavior because it is wishing for something that we don’t have, and for the most part implies that we wish that the other person did not have it. Even if we are not wishing ill of another person, it demonstrates discontent with our status which goes against the sovereignty of God. After all, envy is what put Jesus on the cross (Matthew 27:18).

Maybe it’s easier to see how unloving envy is if we look at the opposite of envy. What if we were genuinely happy with what others have or have achieved? Love means wanting the best for someone. What if we were content with what God has intended for our life. Loving God means realizing in his sovereignty that His plan is best. The Apostle Paul addressed this in Philippians 4:11-13 (NIV) –

“¹¹ I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

What is the antidote for envy? Thankfulness. What should we do when the feeling of envy arises within us? We should thank God for what we have and for His blessings and providence, and then ask Him to give us a desire to love others as we love ourselves.

In Christ,

Judy

“Love is patient, love is kind”  1 Corinthians 13:4 (NIV).

Last week we talked about how the action of patience or longsuffering demonstrates love; patience is not passively waiting. Likewise, demonstrating kindness is love in action. Like patience and love, kindness is also listed as an attribute of the fruit of the spirit. That means that it can only be properly exercised through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Paul tells us that God, in his infinite love and mercy, will raise us up to sit with Jesus in the heavenly places “so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” Ephesians 2:7. And Paul instructs the Ephesian church to “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).

I love how the Bible often instructs us to replace one behavior with another; this is really the best recipe for making long-lasting change. It’s just hard to stop behaving a certain way without knowing what to do in its place. For example, in 2 Timothy 2:24, we are told that “…the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone.” So the instruction is to bestow blessings and generosity and graciousness, even when you feel you want to start or continue an argument over something. For example, we can be kind even when we are giving directions. Rather than saying “that’s not right” or “you can’t do that,” instead say “let me show you” or “here’s the way we do this here.” That comes across helpful or kind rather than argumentative or hostile. I must also note that our nonverbal communication is equally important in the showing of either kindness or rudeness.

In reading these passages, I then begin to equate kindness with grace, tenderness, forgiveness, and not being quarrelsome. In many ways, kindness can be thought of as courtesy, civility, and graciousness. Some adjectives used to describe “kind” behaviors according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary are sympathetic, helpful, forbearing, gentle, giving pleasure or relief, affectionate, and loving. Kindness is not just saying flattering things. Kindness is genuinely considering the other person’s well-being and taking action accordingly.

Two of the Mission’s Core Values are directly aligned with kindness: Radical Hospitality and Culture of Honor.  Four of the tenets of the Mission’s Code of Conduct also include elements of kindness: Communication, Confidentiality, Compassion, and Servanthood.

When we are kind to one another, we are displaying Christ-like love. We must be empowered, because in truth, we don’t always feel like being kind. Sometimes we are tired, in a hurry, or preoccupied. It’s really difficult to be kind to someone who has not been kind to us. But Jesus doesn’t give us any excuses for failure to be kind. In fact, he tells us to turn the other cheek, and go the extra mile (Matt 5:38-42).

Hopefully, we all have at least one role model we would think of when we think of these attributes. My mother was extolled for her kindness. She always had a smile and expressed concern for others. She was always gracious in her conversation, and she was genuine. It not only gives me pleasure to hear others praise her in this way, it also inspires me. I pray that you and I will be that role model for others.

In Christ,

Judy