THE KING’ S BUSINESS
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possible to give without love. Many a gen erous giver is utterly lacking in the loye that" is defined and described below. ( 2 ) Martyrdom. Very few dream that a man may go to the extent o f giving his body to be burned and yet be lacking in real love, and, yet he may; if he is thus lacking in love, even his suffering unto death will bring him absolutely no profit. These is a way more excellent than speaking with tongues, than the gift o f prophecy, than' a knowledge o f the deep things o f God, than miracle-working faith, than benefi- cence,' than martyrdom, and that more excellent way is the supreme way, pos sessing the suprem 6 gift, the one all-essen tial thing— l o v e . Have you it? If not, all the rest you have counts for nothing with God and will count nothing for you in eter nity." vs. 4, 5. “ Charity (Love) suffereth long, and is kind: ( ;) charity (love) envieth not: ( ;) charity (love) vaunteth not itself, is hot puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her (its) oisln, is not easily ('omit, easily) provoked, thinketh no evil (taketh not account of evil).’’ In verses one to three we have love exalted; in verses four to seven we have love described. In these verses we are told that love has fif teen marks that are never wanting where love exists in the heart. Nine o f the fif teen are given in these two verses: ( 1 ) “Love suffereth long,” i.e., it endures injury after injury, insult after insult, wrong after wrong, and still loves on. It wastes itself, or seems to waste itself in vainly trying to help the unworthy, and still it loves on, though often deceived, and hopes on (c f. Gal. 5:22; Eph. 4 :2 ; Col. 1:11). Oh, how rare is- the love that will suffer on and not be discouraged. (2) Love “ is kind.” Love knows no harshness. Even where severity is necessary, and it j3ome-_ times is necessary, even the severity is gen tle -and tender (Eph. 4 :32; Gal. 5 :22, R. V .). (3) “Love envieth not.” I f we stop to think we see" that love cannot possibly envy, for love is delight in and desire for another’s welfare, and, therefore, in the eyes o f love, another’s welfare or good, is
one have the gift o f prophecy in its very highest potency so. that one knows all the secrets of God and all knowledge, if he have not love his gift amounts to so little that He Himself is absolutely “nothing” with all his boasted knowledge of the deep things of God. Surely such prophetic gifts and such wonderful knowledge, o f the things of God are something to be greatly .cov'eted and much admired, and we would naturally think that the man o f great theo logical and spiritual insight must occupy a great place in the mind of God, and so he does if he has love, but if he has not love also, he is just “nothing.” How this lays ,jn the dust the pride' af many who have taken great.glory-to therriselves because of their exceptional knowledge o f the things of God. (2) Miracle-working faith. How we all would be disposed to admire, and some of us to adore, a man who could work miracles because of his faith in God. But a man can have that in the most powerful form conceivable, even to the literal moving o f mountains, and yet if he has not love, instead of being o f much^ value in God’s sight he would be simply nothing. v. 3 . “And though (if) I bestow all my goods to feed the poor) and though (if) I give my body to be burned, and (but) have^ not charity (love), it profiteth me nothing .” Here we have two more things that not only the people of Corinth, but people generally greatly esteem and praise: (1) Benefi cence. How we all are disposed to think that if a man is a generous giver he must be highly esteemed of God. But here we are taught that one can have beneficence to that extent that he gives absolutely all .’he has, and that for the most humane pur- pose^_to feed the poor, but if he has not love he will gain nothing by it, absolutely “nothing.” How many false hopes that annihilates (cf. Matt. 6:1-4; 23:5). How many there a r f who are building their hope o f heaven on the fact that they are generous givers and they think that surely God must accept one who gives as generously as they do. But unless there is love in their heart back of the gift, their large giving will profit them absolutely nothing. It is quite
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