Tag: patient and kind
Lord, I need love!
Scripture reading for August 17th: 1st Corinthians 13, Psalm 14, Proverbs 9
1st Corinthians 13: 1-8 “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way, it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.”
Because of sin and selfishness, mankind is bankrupt when it comes to God’s kind of love. We can have all sorts of talents and gifts, but without agape love, the love that gives to help another, they are meaningless. We often lack patience and kindness with others. Envy and boasting cause division and strife. Resentment and irritation come out of us instead of blessing and rejoicing and long-suffering. Fortunately, God’s love becomes available to us through the indwelling Holy Spirit. Our spiritual growth after new birth by faith is governed by our growth in learning to love like our Lord. Lord help me to love like you!
Psalm 14:2-3 “The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; there is none that does good, not even one.”
Prayer: Father God, thank You for the greatest gift, Your amazing agape love! I receive it and embrace my need to grow in my ability to love You and others. Fill me daily with the Holy Spirit. Give me opportunity to share love. Keep me from folly, the loud and seductive voices of this world that try to use me in unloving ways of impatience, irritation, resentment and strife. I am glad Your love never ends!
Proverbs 9:13-16 “The woman Folly is loud; she is seductive and knows nothing. She sits at the door of her house; she takes a seat on the highest places of the town, calling to those who pass by, who are going straight on their way, “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!””
Faith, Hope, and Love abide!
Scripture reading for September 12th: Isaiah 45-48, 1st Corinthians 13
1st Corinthians 13: 4-7 “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, endures all things.”
As Paul explained the work and gift of the Holy Spirit among the members of the church, he stopped to emphasize something greater and longer-lasting than the gifts. He emphasized God’s love as the greatest gift or fruit of the Spirit. God Himself is love. God’s love seeks what is best for those who are its object, regardless of cost or personal sacrifice. Love is patient and kind, and God’s patience allows people time to repent and His goodness and kindness draws them to repentance and faith. God is Truth and rejoices in what is right and true. He waits for His Truth to come to pass as it works through love. God’s love never ends and it is His greatest Gift in Jesus Christ our Lord.
1st Corinthians 13:8-13 “Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then is shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
Prayer: Father God, thank You for Your gift of loving me and demonstrating that love in Your Son dying on the cross for me. As wonderful as the gifts of the Holy Spirit are, this fruit of love is the greatest gift that is not just temporal, but abides forever. My faith works by love and Your love is poured out into my heart by the Holy Spirit. Your love gives me eternal hope and anticipation that the best is yet to come.
Isaiah 45: 22-23 “Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. By Myself I have sworn; from My mouth has gone out in righteousness a Word that shall not return: ‘To Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance'”
God is Love!
Scripture reading for September 10th: Isaiah 45-48, 1st Corinthians 13
Key Scriptures: 1st Corinthians 13:4-8 “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. . .”
Paul, as a godly pastor, knew that any discussion of spiritual gifts must involve love. The Holy Spirit opens a flow of God’s love in the hearts of His people. (Romans 5:5) God’s love is a perfect love and must be explained to those coming out of an idolatrous culture. God’s love is patient and kind, not arrogant and rude. It does not envy or boast and is not irritable or resentful. God’s love flows from the infinite source of His heart for He is Love! O how we need the Holy Spirit’s river of God’s love!
Faith confession and prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You that You demonstrated God’s love for us through Your life, death, and resurrection! Fill me with Your love that I might demonstrate it to the world You send me to.
Isaiah 45:22-23 “”Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. By Myself I have sworn; from My mouth has gone out in righteousness a Word that shall not return: ‘To Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.'”
Love never fails!
Scripture reading for July 23rd: 1st Corinthians 13
Paul had explained the various gifts of the Holy Spirit and how God distributed them to each person as He desired in order to help the believers. As wonderful as these gifts were, Paul emphasized the need to allow the love of God to saturate each person as a foundation for proper exercise of the gifts.
“And now I will show you the most excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophesy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.” (1st Corinthians 12:31-13:3) The Corinthians were actively using the gifts but some had gotten prideful concerning how God was using them. They lacked the love that made their gifts ‘excellent’.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, 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.” (1st Corinthians 13:4-8) Paul gently instructed the Corinthians and us about the way of love. Pride and arrogance block God’s excellent way of love. Anger and rudeness stop the common good that should result from God’s gifts in operation. The way of love protects and trusts and hopes for God’s best. In the end, love never fails to produce the ‘excellent way’!