Focal Passage for 2010:
“And above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8 (NKJV)
Weekly Passage:
“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy, love does not parade itself, is not puffed up” 1 Corinthians 13:4
As we continue our journey into 1 Corinthians 13:1-8, we will focus our time this week on a third portion of 1 Corinthians 13:4. Our focus this year has been, and continues to be, learning to love others as Christ loves us. As I have shared before, my definition of love differs from God’s definition of love. God is teaching me that HE is the authority on all things. In light of that truth, if my definition is different than His, my definition is wrong!! “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28-29).
This week, we will focus our attention on the third portion of our focal passage “Love does not envy…” What is envy? Basically, when we are envious or jealous, our flesh desires what someone else has. Over the past couple of months, I have been working on my personal testimony to share with our small group. The Lord has been revealing to me a number of sins that have been hidden in my heart. Envy is one of those sins. God has been revealing to me that I have been jealous of other people’s testimonies. I know this sounds strange, but allow me to explain.
As I have shared before, my past is full of abuse, my own sinful choices, and the painful consequences of both. In an attempt to “free” myself from all of that, I blocked many of those memories and refused to deal with them in the light of God’s Truth. I found comfort, security, and safety (or so I thought) in hiding behind walls that I constructed in my heart and mind. Walls that do not allow people to get close enough to me to hurt me. I thought that these invisible walls shielded me from the pain of rejection, abandonment, fear, abuse, and being vulnerable. I have held tightly to these “defenses” for years and even refused to allow my husband to get past them.
Recently, God has been tearing down these walls. God has been bringing back the past by allowing the memories to return and HE has not permitted me to block them or stop them from resurfacing. I have had no choice but to face the past and deal with it. (“I will love You, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies” Psalm 18:1-3). Several times, I have made the comment, “I wish I had someone else’s testimony!” I really never gave that comment much thought and I certainly did not think that my comment revealed any sinful attitude or sinful desire hidden in my heart, but I was wrong!! “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13).
God has been teaching me that when I try to separate myself from my past, I am actually attempting to separate myself from the work that God has done through that past. By trying to hide my past and by comparing my testimony to other people’s testimony, I was being prideful, arrogant, and hiding the work that God has done, is doing, and continues to do in my life. God’s work is worthy of praise! “You are worthy, O Lord, TO receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created” (Revelation 4:11). For many years, I could not understand how God was “glorified through my sin” but now I realized that God IS NOT glorified through my sin but HE is glorified through His power to transform my sinful, wicked life into a life that reflects His faithfulness, mercy, unconditional love, sovereignty and saving grace!! WOW!!
Reread our focal passage once more, “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy, love does not parade itself, is not puffed up” 1 Corinthians 13:4. My Friend, when we envy any person for any reason, we are not reflecting the love of Christ. Our envy makes us bitter and unable to rejoice in what God is doing in the lives of other people. When we are refusing to rejoice with other people, we are saying, in our hearts, that God’s work is not praiseworthy, honorable, perfect, right, and/or sovereign. Envy can manifest itself in many ways in our lives and at times we may not even realize that is a sin that we are dealing with. God’s Word promises us that God sees all things (see Hebrews 4:12), that He alone bring all sin to light (see Hebrews 4:13), and that HE can and will transform our wicked, sinful hearts into a heart that loves Him, desires Him, and honors Him (see Romans 12:2).
May we each bow before the Lord God Almighty and ask Him to search our hearts and to reveal any sinful thought, attitude, and/or behavior that we have hidden deep within our hearts. May we surrender our lives to Him and allow Him to mold us, shape us, and transform us into the person HE has created us to be. May our lives reflect the glory of God so that His love flows through us. My Friend, this is the only way we can truly love others as Christ loves us. God desires to use every part of our lives to display His amazing grace, love, mercy, and power. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
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