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In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
It (love) does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
1 Corinthians 13:5
This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
What is the most excellent way in life?
The scriptures would tell us it’s the way of love, not as the world loves but rather as God wants us to love and there could be no greater example of what that loves looks like than by examining and then modeling the life of Jesus, God’s one and only Son, the One who is the Way (John 14:6).
Yesterday, in the second message in this series titled “Love, the Most Excellent Way”, we began to see how God’s word explains what real love looks like, defining it both by what it is and isn’t supposed to be. We learned that love is to be patient and kind but not envious, boastful, or prideful.
Today, we continue to look at what love shouldn’t be in verse 5. Let’s look at that guidance again here:
It (love) does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Let’s break these down one by one.
1. Love doesn’t dishonor others.
Look up the word “dishonor” as a verb in the dictionary and it renders this definition:
To “treat in a degrading manner” or to “bring shame on”.
I have seen people in relationships go out of their way to demean their partner, verbally insulting and abusing the one they supposedly love with ease. In fact, it seems like the offender gets some sense of thrill over offending and humiliating their mate. In verse 4 of this chapter, we read where love is kind. Dishonoring the one you are supposed to love is the polar opposite of kindness and the Bible tells us that intentionally shaming a partner or anyone else for that matter is unloving behavior.
Love as God intends builds up and supports. It doesn’t tear someone down and seek to harm them.
2. Love isn’t self seeking.
Yesterday, we remembered the greatest display of love ever as Jesus willingly allowed Himself to be falsely accused and convicted, brutally assaulted and abused, and then nailed to a cross and raised up to die in the view of the public, a death worthy of a criminal even though He was perfectly sinless, God, not willing to allow us to perish in our sins, offered up His only Son as the unblemished Lamb that was sacrificed to take away the sin of the world (John 3:16, John 1:29). Jesus bore the suffering and death penalty we deserved and He did it out of love for us. Had He been self seeking, He would have just saved Himself and all of us die but that wasn’t what He was about and it certainly wasn’t what His Father expected. Jesus was obedient and carried out His Father’s will and He did so because He was willingly to go as far as surrender his life for those He loved, namingly all mankind.
If we’re ever going to love as God desires, we need to follow the lead of Jesus. We need to be willing to get outside of ourselves and place the needs of others ahead of our own, even if it costs us our own life, because love isn’t self seeking or self serving. Rather, it is meant to be self sacrificial
3. Love isn’t easily angered.
It’s easy to recognize a relationship where true love, God’s love, is lacking. In these relationships, fighting and arguing are commonplace. There is little dialogue entered into that isn’t combative and laced with anger. In fact, people within these kinds of relationships actually seem to constantly think about strategy, how they can counter whatever the other person might say against them. Conflict is the norm and expected.
Self sacrificing love takes us in the other direction. Instead of wanting our own way, we care more about nurturing and considering the other person’s needs ahead of our own. This kind of love leads us away from anger and toward compassion. Instead of seeking disagreement, it is more concerned about resolution. The relationship is only where it needs to be when the other person has their needs met.
We should pray for the Lord to help us aid our partners within relationships. He will always lead us away from anger and show us the way to lovingly communicate with them.
4. Love keeps no record of wrongs.
What would happen if God failed to forgive us for the countless times we have wronged Him?
Go ahead and think about that for a minute or two and you’ll quickly see that this isn’t a place anyone should want to be.
God doesn’t keep a record of wrongs and hold it over our heads and we aren’t to do it to other people either. If He doesn’t hold a grudge, then we aren’t to do it. Instead, we are to forgive and show grace to those who have wronged us. True love, the love that God provides, does this.
Stop living in the past. Pardon those who have committed past offenses against you and do so out of love for them because the scriptures tell us that love keeps no record of wrongs.
Now we could probably stop here with what God’s word has taught us in these last two messages but we’re not anywhere done yet. The Lord still has much to say about love as the most excellent way. I hope you’ll come back for part four tomorrow.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
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