Exhortation to Love, Part 2

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, it is not puffed up;
Does not behave itself rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
Does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth…
Love never fails.

This is how the Bible describes love in 1 Corinthians chapter 13. This is the love that we as Christians must show. To show this love shouldn’t be hard for us, since we are Christians and as such we have the perfect example of love. God is our Father, and God is love. We are negligent to not reflect his love on Creation, since not only has he demonstrated his love to us by loving us unconditionally, but he has also written out a description of the love that we are to show. We have no excuse for not being imitators of Christ, except for our own pride and laziness. Let’s take a look at the characteristics of love.

“Love suffers long and is kind…is not provoked, thinks no evil (takes no account of the evil done to it)…”

Basically, this part of the Scripture calls upon us to be patient and kind. Easier said than done, but easily done when one knows who he is in Christ. Patience and kindness are crucial parts of one’s Christian witness; they show that one not self-centered, which gives the person more influence over those around him. Someone who exhibits patience and kindness always has a more willing audience than someone who is constantly focused on himself and what affects him. The phrase “thinks no evil” means “takes no account of the evil done to it.” This means that one who exhibits Christ’s love does not seek revenge against those who wrong him. Of course, we are not supposed to be doormats, but vengeance is the Lord’s, and the Lord’s alone. When we are wronged, we must submit ourselves to God. Believe it or not, to attempt to take vengeance into our own hands is to remove our faith from God. By attempting to get even, we are basically telling God that we don’t trust Him to take care of the injustice, and that we’d rather do things ourselves. We must cast our cares upon the Lord, and place our faith in Him to make things right.

“Love does not envy…does not rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in truth…”

Someone who has the love of Christ does not get upset because someone has something that he wants. Instead, a loving person rejoices for the blessings of another. A loving person will also not rejoice because of another’s misfortune. We are supposed to love and pray for our enemies, and that leaves no room for rejoicing over someone’s iniquity. To love even one’s enemy again improves one’s witness; if you continue to show love to your enemy for long, giving love in return for hate, then your enemy won’t be your enemy for long. Instead of rejoicing every time misfortune befalls your enemy and thus lowering yourself to his level, show the compassion you would show anyone. People will wonder what you’ve got going for you that even being shown hatred doesn’t affect you negatively and doesn’t change your attitude. To love a lovable person or a friend is simple; to love an enemy is a sign of a mature Christian.

“…love does not parade itself, it is not puffed up; does not behave itself rudely, does not seek its own…”

These things are further proof that love is not selfish. Love is naturally directed toward others. To always concentrate on oneself, or to be puffed up and seek one’s own, are indications that the love of Christ is not present. Christ never paraded himself, puffed himself up, behaved rudely, or sought his own (looked after only His own interests). Instead, He spent his time helping others and teaching them, being the perfect example of love. When we imitate Christ, others will be drawn to us because they know that associating with us will bring benefits.

“Love never fails.”

Real love, the love of Christ, does not fail. When it seems difficult to love, Christ’s love prevails when all other love falters. One with Christ’s love will continue to love even when other love has already withdrawn and turned to selfishness.

People are like bugs: They are always drawn toward the light. We as Christians are to be a light unto the world, and the best way to do that is to imitate the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Jesus was a shining light to the world, and we are to be like Him. In order to evangelize the world, we must have the knowledge to do so, but if we don’t have love, our evangelical ability is shot. If no one will listen to us, we have no chance of reaching them, and they will only listen to us if we prove that we’re worth listening to. If we show that we’ve got something that they need, they will listen. If we don’t show love, then we are no better than the world.