WHAT REAL LOVE IS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 08, 2024.

SUBJECT: WHAT REAL LOVE IS! 

Memory verse: "And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” (First Peter 4 vs 8.)

READ: First Corinthians 13 vs 4 - 8:

13:4: Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy, love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;

13:5: does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;

13:6: does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;

13:7: bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

13:8: Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

INTIMATION: 

Real love is as strong as death. It cannot be killed by time or disaster and cannot be bought for any price because it is freely given. Love is priceless, and even the richest king cannot buy it. Love must be accepted as a gift from God and then shared within the guidelines God provides. Strive to make your love a reflection of the perfect love that comes from God. 

In the passage we read today, there are fifteen qualities explained here concerning the nature of real love. These are qualities that are manifested in one’s relationship with his fellow man. In this case, this should be the nature of the Christians’ relationship with one another in their behavior as disciples of Jesus. 

The apostle Paul personifies love as one who manifests specific characteristics. He states as follows: (1) Love suffers long; it patiently endures the weaknesses of others. Love is not quick to discard a relationship simply because of a disagreement. (2) Love is kind; it does not portray harsh attitude with one’s brother or spouse. Through kindness, love actively works toward the benefit of all those with whom it comes into contact.

(3) Love does not envy; it is not jealous over the accomplishments of others, nor does it seek for the possessions of others. It will thus build up and not tear down. (4) Love does not parade or exalt itself; it does not push itself forward in order to be recognized, but is willing to humbly work in the background of the crowd in order to exalt others. Love does not work in order to draw attention to itself. (5) Love is not puffed up; it is not prideful or arrogant, and thus, does not insist on having its own way or consider itself better than others. It does not exalt itself above others. It does not lift itself up by knocking others down.

(6) Love does not behave rudely; it does not behave in a manner that manifests little consideration for others. Love does not ignore the person of others for the sake of exalting itself. (6) Love does not seek its own; it does not like to be first. It does not seek to have its own way by ignoring the thoughts and dreams of others. (7) Love is not easily provoked; it does not easily lose its temper when something either goes wrong or is said that will generate anger. Love doesn’t react to disagreeable situations with rage or anger, but responds with calmness and gentleness.

(8) Love thinks no evil; it does not search for evil in the lives of others. Love does not search for evil in other to destroy its enemies by slanderous character assassination. Love realizes that one’s perceptions of others is usually based on wrong information. Love thus assumes the sincerity of others without questioning the motives of others. (9) Love does not rejoice in iniquity; it does not take pleasure in finding sin or failures in the lives of others. It does not rejoice when another sins or makes a mistake. It does not exalt itself above others by pointing out the mistakes of others.

(10) Love rejoices in the truth; it seeks truth and not evil. Love is identified in the one who searches for truth and not evil in the lives of others. (11) Love bears all things; when things become difficult, love does not cease to work. Without retaliation, love endures malicious slander that is spoken against it. When one is sinned against, love forbears without retaliation. (12) Love believes all things; it believes and seeks the good in all situations and people, and thus hopes for the best. Love is positive about life, and not negative.

(13) Love hopes all things; it believes that all things are working together for the good of the Christian. Love believes that the best is yet to be. (14) Love endures all things; because love believes that all things are working together for good, it looks on the positive side of things when things seem to go wrong. Love is always confident about the future. (15) Love never fails; true love never quits though things may go wrong. Love never quits in the face of trials, discouragements, persecutions, and temptations, 

Our society confuses love and lust. Unlike lust, God’s kind of love is directed outward toward others, not inward toward ourselves. It is utterly unselfish. This kind of love goes against our natural inclinations. It is impossible to have this love unless God helps us set aside our own natural desires so that we can love and not expect anything in return. 

Prayer: Abba Father, You are love, and I know You. Your love has been poured out in my heart by the Holy Spirit You gave to me. My utmost heart desire is to love like You. Endue me with Your excellent spirit of love that I may love like You, in Jesus’ Name I prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!