1
Corinthians 13:13, “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the
greatest of these is love.”
This
is the last verse of, probably, one of the most read passages of
Scriptures. Psalm 23, Luke 2, John 14,
then probably 1 Cor. 13 would be the top to me.
This passage is most often read at weddings, and it has a very airy and feel-good
quality. This is one of the passages
that scoffers and unbelievers look to when a Christian dare speaks of God’s
law. “I thought you guys were all love
and that stuff; what you are saying doesn’t sound like love to me.” (sigh)
We use the word love very loosely. I love my wife; I love picking apples; I love
Canadian bacon and black olive pizza; but do I really equate these three as the
same? Some do. What we need to do is to look at how we
define love and how God defines love.
We look at this passage as the definition
of love. What we see is that love, true
godly love, is focused outward. It is
about me giving to you because I love you.
God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son; this is
love. True love is not focused on me but
on thee. We actually can look at it like
this. Love is one thing; the other is
lust.
Lust in this situation is not just how we
look at an opposite gender individual.
Lust is about satisfying me. When
we speak love words they are “you” or “them;” lust words are “me, myself and I.” If you listen to couples who are seeking a
divorce, you hear phrases like, “I fell out of love” or “I need my space”; all
the focus is inward on my wants, my desires, and my satisfaction. Love is about others. So, in many ways, chapter 13 does help us to
define love. It is patient, kind, bears
all things, endures all things, and never ends.
Lust does not.
Unfortunately, many in the world see love
as conditional. Conditional love is
lust; it is about meeting my wants first and foremost. What is sad is that so many see this as
love. I’ll love you if you love me. I will love you forever if someone better doesn’t
come along. True love is not a two-way
street; true love is me loving you with no strings or requirements. That is love; anything else is lust.
Can you love like that, I know I
can’t. Yet this is the kind of love
which God wants us to have; the same love He has for us. Fortunately, God’s love is this way for me;
even when I sin (which is often) God still loves me. He calls me back with his forgiveness and his
love. He continues to mold me and shape
me to try and show this love to others.
When I deal with others, like the checkout clerk at Wal-Mart and I
remember how God treats me, I try a little harder to be patient and kind. I don’t do this because it earns me anything
it simply brings me closer to Jesus. The
same is true for all of us. These three
remain; faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love.
Holy
Father, your love is demonstrated in our lives at every turn. Too often we miss it by rushing in other
directions or ignoring the signs.
Forgive us for being slow to love as we are loved. Guard us and guide us by your faithful hand
to love as you continue to shape us and mold us into your holy image. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.
God’s
Peace,
Pastor Bret
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