Thoughts from John Bell – Love by Death When you read 1 Corinthians 13, you should ask yourself some questions: "Am I growing in love? Am I easier to live with now than I was a year ago? Am I able to handle people with more grace? Am I more courteous, more compassionate, more patient?" These are the measurements of life. This is why we were given life, so that we might learn how to act in love. It is the paramount goal of every human life, and it is worthwhile to measure yourself from time to time. To help us, the apostle gives some very practical ways of testing love. He says: Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the truth. (1 Corinthians 13:4-6) Notice that there are only three positives; all the rest are negatives. Love is really only three simple things. It is patient, kind and honest. It rejoices in the truth. The quality of love we are talking about is the kind that produces patience, kindness and honesty. The negatives that are given are the things we must set aside in order to let the love of God be expressed. We do not have to produce this love in the Christian life. We only have to get the things that are hindering it out of the way. All progress in the Christian life comes by first experiencing the “cross” and then the resurrection. The cross and the resurrection are symbolic pictures of what we repeatedly go through as Christians. To give up the pleasure that these negative expressions give us is to experience a kind dying to self. That is the cross. But it always results in a resurrection, a release of the power of God to reach out in patience, in kindness, and in honesty. That is the way to love. It is “giving up” our pettiness to release the love of God.
Posted on: Tue, 27 Aug 2013 03:10:05 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015