Focal Passage for 2011:
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35
Weekly Passage:
“(Love) does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil.”
1 Corinthians 13:5
As we continue our journey into 1 Corinthians 13:1-8, we will focus our time this week on the third portion of verse 5. Our focus this past 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) is not provoked…” The way God works never ceases to amaze me! I have shared before but I must say once again that when the Lord began to impress upon my heart to really seek Scripture regarding the love of Christ and to begin praying for that for my own heart, I was a little surprised. I truly believed that in most cases I did love others as Christ loves me. Boy, even writing that makes me cringe! Pride and arrogance surely creeps up and takes over very quickly, doesn’t it?! Through the study of His Word, God is faithfully revealing to me areas in my heart that do not reflect the love of Christ.
Our focal portion of Scripture has been very convicting for me personally. The Lord has revealed to me that my love is easily provoked. I am also learning that my love is more conditional than unconditional. My Friend, that is so sad! As a child of God, we are called to mirror the love of Christ but unfortunately my love has not always done that. As I meditate upon the truths the Lord has been teaching us throughout our study the past thirteen months, I am beginning to realize that I offer my love freely and completely to those who love me back, appreciate me, serve me, and please me but when I am challenged with opposition or feel unappreciated or unloved I quickly begin to retreat. I withhold my love and I become upset. At times, I have blamed the other person for me upset and “justified” my reaction telling myself that withdrawing from that person is for my protection.
My Friend, God’s Word tells us that HE is our protection! “For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings” (Psalm 61:3-4). Christ trusted the Father even unto death. Christ did not die for people who loved Him, honored Him, cared for Him, spoke kindly of Him, sought to please Him, worshiped Him, or followed Him. Scripture tells us that “God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Christ loves us unconditionally and HE showers us with His grace, mercy, and faithfulness daily. God’s Word commands that we are to love as Christ loves us. My Friend, there are no conditions on that command. God does not say “love those who love you, or be kind to those who are kind to you.” God commands that His children love as HE loves completely, whole-heartedly, and without conditions.
How do we apply this truth to our daily lives? The very foundation of this life application is a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Without the love of Christ dwelling inside of us, we are powerless to love as HE loves. If we have a personal relationship with Christ, then we must hold onto the truth found in Ephesians 1 and Philippians 4…We do have the power that raised Jesus from the dead living inside of us enabling us to do all things that God commands…Through Christ all things are possible! No matter what situation we may encounter, we are equipped to fully obey the Lord God. Certainly there will be times when we must address sin and lovingly speak truth to someone. That person may or may not receive the truth we share with them and they may even turn on us but we are still commanded to speak truth in love and to love them as Christ loves us. God may put distance between you and that person but we are still commanded to love them and pray for them.
There will be times in each of our lives when God will lead others to confront sin in our lives. We really need to receive that counsel with humility and appreciation. Now, this is not an easy task. When we are confronted, we may feel embarrassed, ashamed, or falsely accused. We may even be tempted to defend ourselves or to withdraw from that person. May the Lord give us the desire to listen to that person, take their counsel before the Lord and ask Him to reveal to us what is true and accurate, and then allow God to change our hearts into the image of Christ.
My Friend, when we love as Christ, we will not fear correction and wise counsel. We will seek to put others first and to love them selfLESSly. We will guard our hearts against the temptation to be “easily provoked to anger.” We will seek to glorify God in our actions, attitudes, responses, and reactions. The more we seek God and get to know who HE truly is, the more we will desire “to decrease so HE will increase!” Our focus will not be about us and how others affect us but rather our focus will be on how our actions affect others and whether or not we are we pointing others to Christ. How do you love? What do others see when they look at your example of love? Which direction are you pointing the people in your life - toward the Cross or away from it?
