“What
Love Really Looks Like!”
Text:
1 Corinthians 13
“Love
Is Patient!” - vs. 4
The cultural definition of love is vague at best,
watered down, these days it's just a word used loosely, typically to
get an advantage or a desired outcome! I mean, here in america here are some uses that reveal
our shallow view of this grand word......
- I love chicken
- I love these jeans
- I love that cologne
We're so removed from the practical use of the word
but what's scary is how far removed we've become from the spiritual
weight of the word! In this fine country we live in we love our animals, environment,
wealth, success, pets, convenience, and a host of other things far more than our neighbor, our
brothers, and our God! The proof is in our actions, Love isn't a noun
or an adjective, Love IS a verb! Love isn't something you feel or say
or a way to describe someone or something. Love is an ACTION! With this series I want to go verse by verse through
the eleven pictures of what “agape”, true, biblical love looks
like! I want us to see how Jesus' loved!
\In each blog I want to view the particular picture
of love in the scenarios, Spiritually, Specifically, and Socially!
- Love Is PATIENT!
-
* The greek word for patience here is makrothoomeo –
this word is defined this way - *
1. to be of a long spirit, not to lose heart.
a. to persevere patiently and bravely in enduring
misfortunes and troubles
b. to be patient in bearing the offenses and injuries of
other
1. to be mild and slow in avenging
2. to be longsuffering, slow to anger, slow to
punish
The same word is used in:
-
Matthew 18:26 & 29 in the parable of the unforgiving servant. -
26
The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped
him, saying, Lord, have patience
with me, and I will pay thee all.
Luke 18:7 in God's response to the persistent widow.
7
And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto
him, though he bear
long
with them?
1 Thessalonians 5:14 in Paul's command that we act in
patience towards all men!
14
Now
we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the
feebleminded, support the weak, be patient
toward all men.
Hebrews 6:15 where Abraham is described as being reward
by receiving the promise because he Patiently endured!
15
And
so, after he had patiently
endured, he obtained the promise.
James 5:7-8 it's used four times to describe and
encourage us on how to make it unto the end, the coming of Christ!
7
Be
patient
therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the
husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath
long patience
for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. 8
Be
ye also patient;
stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
9
The
Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count
slackness; but is longsuffering
to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should
come to repentance.
We tend, or at least I'm certain that I tend to read
right past such words and never really take to heart the weight in
the word in the original language! Now that we understand the meaning
behind this word and this text then what is the picture of this
“Patient Love” in action? What does it look like? -
1.) Specifically
* Person to Person Relationships, spouses, friends,
siblings, etc. *
In Genesis 29 we see this beautiful picture of patient
love as Jacob loves Rachel! Jacob sees Rachel and falls head over heels in love at the first sight of her. He made a covenant with her father, he'd work for seven years to receive Rachel as his wife! Only to wake up next to Leah the morning after the wedding! Could you imagine? In the darkness of night, hidden behind her veil then to the home to consummate the marriage to wake up to the morning light with this expectation of the woman you love only to see Leah! The father made some excuse as to why Leah had to go first, she was the oldest. Jacob didn't give up though! He covenanted again with Rachels father another seven years and finally received his bride! Love IS Patient! No matter the hurt, sacrifice, betrayal, and
disappointments, Jacob LOVED Rachel!
We see it again between Hosea and Gomer! Maybe you don't know much of the story so let me fill you in. Hosea is a prophet of God, a man of integrity. God tells Hosea to go take himself a wife. He leads Hosea to Gomer, a prostitute! Imagine that scandal today! To the surprise of Hosea, Gomer runs right back to the life she knew. He sends family after her but to no avail. Finally the Lord tells Hosea, go LOVE your wife! So here goes the preacher man into the slum, searching the gutter for his wife! He finds her, on the auction block being sold by her "pimp" to the highest bidder! Do you know what Hosea did? He bought her! Nothing else is said about Gomer, Hosea's patient love changed Gomer's life!
2.) Socially
* Individual to Society, to Individuals with which we
don't have a “personal” bond. *
We see this in the account in Acts 16 between Paul &
Silas, the city of Philippi and the Philippian jailer! Ole' Paul and Silas were patient, and were able to be, for they
trusted God and His sovereignty! They knew that God was in control
and that they were there in that jail in those bonds for a divine
purpose! This allows us to feast in the presence of our enemies (Psalm 23) and to make our enemies our friends (Proverbs
16:7 When
a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be
at peace with him.)! Paul and Silas waited patiently to present love unto the jailor, the one who beat them and placed them in the stocks! At midnight they sang, ann earthquake rang out and the stocks were broken! In fear the jailor ran in and was about to take his own life because he thought the prisoners had escaped but Paul cried out, "Fear not, we're all here!" The patience of Paul and Silas to stay put and not run was used by God to save a wretched jailor and then his whole house!
- This account could also go into the last context of
spiritually but we'll leave it here! -
3.) Spiritually
* God to Man and Man to God! *
- Spiritually is the most important as it's correct
position will produce the first two! -
We see the man to God picture so clearly in the story
of Job! Job was PATIENT with God! Though sometimes he questioned
God's plan and purpose in the course of his journey he never wavered,
never caved, he stood firm in his devotion to God! Even in the face
of his friends who belittled him and his wife who tempted him, Job
was FAITHFUL! After losing everything, being ridiculed by his friends, suffering anguish and pain Job was patient!
- The most important aspect to consider which is the
truest picture of Love, and in this case, love being patient is God
love toward man! -
We find several texts in the scripture that point to
God's patience, long suffering, forgiving love that we are called to
reproduce as Christians! I
see God’s patience in dealing with Adam and Eve as they fall into
sin and as He grants the initial revelation of His covenant of grace.
I see the patience of God with the patriarchs and Israel, even with
their grumbling in the wilderness. I see His patience throughout the
Gospels as Jesus, the Son of God, is being rejected and forsaken. And
I see His patience in the establishment of the church in the New
Testament. I see His patience in the ebb and flow of the church
throughout history.
2
Peter 3:9King James Version (KJV)
9 The
Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count
slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Psalm 86:15King James Version (KJV)
15 But
thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long
suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.
Psalm 78:38King James Version (KJV)
38 But
he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed
them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir
up all his wrath.
Romans 5:8King James Version (KJV)
8 But
God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 9:22-23King James Version (KJV)
22 What
if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known,
endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to
destruction:
23 And
that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of
mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
Isaiah 48:9King James Version (KJV)
9 For
my name's sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I
refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off.
Ephesians 2:4-5King James Version (KJV)
4 But
God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
We must take these pictures of a patient love &
put them into action and produce them in our own personal lives. Specifically, Socially, & Spiritually
Galatians
5:22King James Version (KJV)
22 But
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith,
1 Corinthians 13 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
The Excellence of Love
1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.
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