real quick, that way you make sure that
you're caught up on everything that we're talking about. And, for those of you
who are like me and you can't remember what you had for breakfast this morning,
let alone what happened last week, here's a brief recap of what we talked
about. We do need to talk about the fact that this chapter of the Bible has been,
in many ways, poorly represented. Typically, the main times that you'll
hear people using this passage is at weddings or at some other kind of a
romantic event. This chapter isn't really about romance, but instead it's about a
kind of love that is for everyone, a kind of love that makes you desire to show
people love of Jesus. No matter how good of a person you are, no matter how well
you know the mind of God, and no matter how well you can speak the mind of God,
if it comes from a heart that is not full of love nobody cares. I give you
that recap, specifically because it becomes a lot more important in this
section of first Corinthians 13. We're fixing a look at verses 4 through 7, and
these tend to be the ones that are emphasized at weddings and other
romantic events. But it's really important to remember, when you're
studying this chapter of the Bible, that these verses don't just apply to romance.
In fact they're more specifically meant to be applied to our love for Humanity,
and our love for the church, and our love for everyone. So, first Corinthians 13,
verses 4 through 7 say, "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. It always protects, always trusts, always
hopes, always perseveres." So, in these four verses Paul describes
what it would look like when we truly and purely love someone. And, I've got to
be honest, from the beginning he proves me to be guilty, so often, of having a
fake love for others. He starts out with "patience" and "kindness," which seems easy, on
the outside. I mean, I'm a generally kind and patient person, most of the time. But,
whenever I really start to be an honest with myself, and I start to ask myself
the tough questions, not so much, sometimes. I mean, how do I act whenever
I'm driving and somebody cuts me off? Not very patient, usually, and honestly not
very kind either. What about when you're at the store and the cashier is just
needlessly rude to you, or what about when you're at work or school and you've
got to deal with that annoying person who nobody likes? And then he says that
"love doesn't envy or boast," and again, I'm convicted. Because we live in a social
media-driven world where everybody's lives seem perfect on the internet. And
it seems like I've got friends who are always on vacation! They're either going
to Disney World, or they're going to the beach, or wherever else it may be, and I
look at that and it becomes so easy to think that their lives are so much
better than mine, and to become envious of them. On the flipside, if you looked at
my Instagram page you'd probably see the exact same thing. Because we only want to
put the best version of ourselves out there. And we don't want to air our dirty
laundry in front of everyone else, but sometimes, because of that, we become
guilty of boasting about lives that we don't even have! Then he says that "love
isn't proud and it doesn't dishonor others," and while I'd like to pretend
like I'm not a prideful person, I have to admit that I hate it when somebody else
proves me wrong! And, I can't lie like, most of us, I get some kind of sick joy
out of making people look like idiots on Facebook, whenever their political views
down the line with my own. Even though I realized that, in doing that, I'm just
pushing them farther and farther away from ever wanting to know the truth. "Love
is not self-seeking, it's not easily angered it, keeps no record of wrongs," and
at this point I almost feel like there's no need for me to say anything. Because, over and over Paul just keeps proving that I'm not the loving person that I
claim to be sometimes. I seek my own gain, so often, instead of trying to help
others. I'm so quick to be judgmental and to get angered by people, without even
knowing their story and what led them to this point in life. And I can be so
unforgiving when someone wrongs me. "Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices
with the truth." I think that I'm probably better about this one that I am any of
the other ones, but again, I don't like to be wrong. And, sometimes, it seems like I
would rather be living in error, than to be shown the truth and to be wrong about
it. And, on the other hand, it seems like, sometimes, I would rather watch the
people around me delight and evil, than to take the time out of my schedule to
show them the truth. "It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always
perseveres." We talked about this last week but when
we truly love something or someone we protect it, we cherish it. And if we love
people, will strive to protect them from the evils of this world. We will strive to
trust them, at least as much as they'll allow us to. We'll have hope for them, and
not just a desire to see them become what Jesus wants them to be, but a belief
in them that they can be what Jesus wants them to be. And "it always
perseveres." Love fights through adversity, and it stands beside those who are
receiving injustice, even if it's the unpopular point of view! Love doesn't
just give up whenever times get tough, but it fights through! Love, true love, the
love of Jesus that we are called to have, doesn't give up, period. Of all of 1 Corinthians 13, I think that these four verses are probably the most convicting.
Because, I've got to be honest that when I look at this list, I realize that so
often I'm not practicing true love. And I hope
that you'll be honest with yourself, too, and that you'll ask yourself how much of
this list you're practicing, in your life. Because, as the church, love is what we're
supposed to be about! I could spend all day pointing out passages that tell us
how much we're supposed to love the church, and how much we're supposed to
love outsiders, and how much we're supposed to love God. And I could spend
all day pointing out passages that talked about how much God loves us, even
though we don't deserve it! There are few things that will change this world,
but love will! If something in this video made you desire a truer and a deeper
love, then let me know in the comments what exactly that was, that made you
desire that. And consider sharing this video with someone else and letting them
know why you desire to love like Jesus loves. Don't forget to like the video, and
to subscribe, if you aren't already, and hit that notification bell so that
you'll be notified every time this community gets together, to encourage
each other. Thanks for watching! Now, get out there and go do good!
