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07/24/18 - 1Cor 13


July 24, 2018

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 1Cor 13:6

Being a loving friend means encouraging them with truth instead of inflating them with lies.

Many weddings use the famous Love Chapter from 1st Corinthians as either a sentimental thought or the main commitment.  It is read at most Christian weddings, and even used in many less religious ones.  Yet most people seldom reflect on those words as the definition of love.  Our culture defines love as sentimentality or sensuality – but not truth and grace.

That’s what makes this verse so powerful!  Imagine if your marriage or family VALUED each other’s love when you attempted to live out this verse.  If a commercial came on TV that was a temptation for sin or inappropriate for viewing, the loving person would speak up and say so.  If a false statement was made, the loving family would be sure to correct it.  The husband that is too focused on work would be loved enough by his wife to hear a discussion about balance.  The wife that is far too attracted to appearances and control would be lovingly redirected by her husband.  Those covenant comments made at the wedding would be saving truth in the behaviors of their lives.

Sadly, a love like that is seldom considered real love.  Speaking the truth these days is considered harassment, abuse, narrow-minded and even bigoted.  Certainly truth must be delivered in a kind-hearted fashion, but most people don’t see critique or correction as love.  Instead, the culture defines love as accepting the sin, neglecting correction, and feeding feelings.  Maybe we just need to re-write the Love Chapter to say: Love doesn’t correct any evil and ignores the truth.

We’ve seen that kind of ‘love’ before – it was the so-called love that Cain had for Abel.  It’s the type of ‘love’ that David had for Uriah the Hittite.  Feel-good love like that was what Judas had for Jesus.

We don’t need more of the ‘feel-good’ style of inflating love.  We need the tasty steak kind of love that Paul described in the Love Chapter.  Of course – that means learning HOW to share the truth in a kind and grace-filled way, but better we share truth poorly than push lies well.  If the greatest of all things is love, then let’s be great. 

Maybe we should all re-read the definition of love again from Paul.  Take a look at 1st Corinthians 13:4-7 and see if it is the love you show to your spouse, family, friends and to God.

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.  Love never fails.

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