Overwhelming Part 3 – Love for Others

WARM-UP

When you hear the word “love,” what comes to mind? Most of us think of our spouses, children, family, or friends. We think of people who are easy to love, because they love us back. But how about those who are hard to love? It is not enough for us to love the people that are easy for us to love; we are called to love those who are hard to love.

ONE BIG IDEA

Love is the true measure of all things. 

 STUDY (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 )

“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, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (NIV).”

LEARN:

LOVE IS PATIENT

Patience means “to bear enduringly with other people’s faults and offenses, to be longsuffering.” This is the first characteristic of agape love because it is totally unconditional. It is choosing to love another not because of who they are, but IN SPITE OF WHO THEY ARE, IN SPITE OF WHAT THEY DO TO YOU OR HAVE DONE TO YOU. It is a love which understands the weakness of human nature and refuses to take offense. It is a love which SEES THE POTENTIAL in people and DOES NOT DEMAND INSTANT MATURITY OR GROWTH. It is a love which continues to desire the best for others even when it is slandered or abused. It is a love remarkably like God’s.

LOVE IS KIND

It is not difficult to be kind. It doesn’t take much effort, but it does take intention especially for those who are inconsiderate and mean.

And that is what Paul is talking about here – caring enough to be kind. Sometimes just a word is enough. Proverbs 12:25 – “Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.” (NIV) Make it a point to be KIND to others. Let it be spontaneous, without hesitation. If you can think it, you can do it. Kindness is a powerful medicine for a hurting world. Many people will remember an act of kindness forever.

LOVE DOES NOT ENVY, IT DOES NOT BOAST, IT IS NOT PROUD

Love does not envy, because love is glad for what the other person has. There is no rivalry or competition in love. You cannot love someone and envy them at the same time. Envy causes us to treat others in wrongful ways. Love does not boast.” If envy is desiring what another person has, boasting comes from the desire for others to see what you have. You cannot boast and love at the same time, because boasting is concerned with YOU, while love is concerned with OTHERS. “Love is not proud.” The word actually means to inflate. You could translate it, “Love does not puff itself up.” BOASTING is pride acting OUTWARDS in relation to other people. PRIDE acts INWARD in relation to yourself. It is the act of puffing yourself up in your own eyes until you feel so superior to others that you cannot possibly love them. This kind of pride breeds a critical and judging spirit that has no patience with others and no desire to act kindly.

LOVE DOES NOT DISHONOR OTHERS, IT IS NOT SELF-SEEKING

Love cares enough about people that it seeks to RESPECT those conventions or traditions. Philippians 2:3-4 – “3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility VALUE OTHERS ABOVE YOURSELVES, 4not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others (NIV).” Yes, we should not neglect ourselves, but neither should we seek our own advantage to the detriment of others. You’ve heard the saying, “Some persons love people and use things; others love things and use people.” Love does not use people to gain its own advantage.

LOVE IS NOT EASILY ANGERED, IT KEEPS NO RECORD OF WRONGS

Not easily angered” has to do with the SHORT-TERM, while “keeping no record of wrongs” has more to do with the LONG-TERM. To be easily angered means to be easily provoked or stirred up, to be irritated or touchy, to yield to provocation. Being easily angered is a quick reaction which results in HURTFUL words and HARMFUL actions. Keeping a record of wrongs is the long-term decision to hold on to BITTERNESS and RESENTMENT, to choose not to forgive. Love forgives ALL offenses and keeps no records. This is the way God loves us when God forgives ALL our sins in Christ.

LOVE DOES NOT DELIGHT IN EVIL

Love takes no pleasure in unrighteousness, injustice, or any wickedness. Love never rejoices when people are mistreated, when evil wins out, when God is dishonored, or when God’s law is disobeyed. Love does not delight when evil befalls another person. Love is never glad at another person’s misfortune, never gossips about another’s problems. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth.

LOVE REJOICES WITH THE TRUTH

The word Paul uses here is related to the Greek word “stegei/stego” actually means “roof.” It means “to protect by covering over,” just as a roof provides a protective covering from the elements. Protection is a natural byproduct of love. A pastor protects the church he loves. The good shepherd protects the sheep.

LOVE ALWAYS TRUSTS

Trust here means to believe in, to commit yourself to someone or something. Now, love is not stupid or naïve. I don’t think I saw those words anywhere on Paul’s list. It does not believe an obvious lie or blindly put its trust in untrustworthy people. But love chooses to believe the BEST about people until proven otherwise. And love certainly trusts God who is always completely trustworthy.

LOVE ALWAYS HOPES

Love is OPTIMISTIC. Love does not dwell on the problems of the PAST, but looks FORWARD to the future with confidence and grace.

LOVE ALWAYS PERSEVERES

Finally, love always perseveres. Love never stops loving. It continues in the face of rejection and opposition. It bears up under insult and injury. Love perseveres because it is unconditional. And Paul says that without this kind of love, we are nothing. Jesus is the only one who truly fulfills this beautiful picture of love. He defines love through His life and testimony so that we can see it more clearly. Rather than get discouraged over your own shortcomings, cast yourself upon Christ who is the perfect love. Meditate on the beauty of His character. And let God do His work in your life, transforming you ever more into the likeness of Christ by the power of His Spirit. That is the secret to growing in love.