the water out. It protects and seals off from outside influence. Even so, true love bears up well against the fierce storms and various in truders of life. Such love does not live a good life by sheer determin ation. This would be seeking to keep the law. To love Cod and to bear up under all things means to turn your back on the world, being shielded from evil through Christ who both protects and strengthens. Love must operate under all cir cumstances. Paul puts the truth succinctly, "It endureth all things" (vs. 7). Many Biblical translators rendered this from the Creek as "patience." It means to stand your ground, holding the fort or, as the young people say today, "hanging in there." Do not let hate domin ate your experience. Love must persist. Yes, Biblically defined, love will put up with a lot. It is not cen tered in self whatsoever but can readily operate under adverse con ditions. Your love cannot endure all things unless there are prob lems and perplexities which face you. God's love in our hearts make us markedly different. In other words, the individual who has the quality of real Biblical love is sim ply concerned about what he can do to benefit others. Love always characterizes the life of one who discounts self inter ests for the benefit of others. Love properly defined is centered in God. We are told that it is kind (vs. 4). This means it is useful or practical to someone else. Love is that quality of concern for others which impells us to act in practical ways. Does our loving affect our pocketbook? Are we willing to take prime time to go out of our way to help others? In the vernac
ular we might say, "love is putting your actions where your mouth is." You will respond in practical ways, even when people are "needling" you. Another dimension of love re minds us that it is never envious. It is never self-centered — envy is. It wishes the best for others without thought of one's own de sires or position. (Even the hypo chondriac is envious when he wishes he were sicker than some body else.) Envy is saying, "I want what you have." Then, too, love does not boast or brag ("vaunteth not itself"). One who is filled with Biblical love is not in a contest with someone else to see if he can outdo them. Love supports the other person without concern for how he comes out of the contest. Christians certainly do not display love when they speak of their own Christian achievements or insights at the expense of someone else. Love is very easy to discuss and to define when we look at it in the light of Scripture. But love is im possible to display properly in our lives if we try to do it in our own strength. Let us be thankful that through Christ we can do all things. Let us pray that through the Lord's promised victory, and what He has done for us on the cross of Cal vary, that we will demonstrate this quality of life that truly makes the Christian unique.
Page 27
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker