I’ve been reading 1 Corinthians lately in my devotions. When I got to chapter 13, I was thinking, “Oh yes, this is a short chapter... and it’s all about love. Won’t take me long to read.” You know, how you sort of skim over some stuff in Scripture because you know it all by heart already.
Boy, was I wrong. This chapter really impacted me about how I love in my daily life.
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.” (Verse 1-3)
Intelligence without love is nothing. Faith without love is nothing. Even good works without love are nothing.
But what is love? True love?
Love, in Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, is described as "benevolence; good will." Benevolence is "The disposition to do good; good will; kindness; charitableness; the love, of mankind, accompanied with a desire to promote their happiness." True love is truly desiring what is truly the best for the other person.
But how do you show true love?
This chapter shows us exactly how.
(All definitions from Webster's 1828 dictionary because its definitions are close to what the translators of the Bible had in mind.)
- Charity suffereth long. To suffer means “To feel or bear what is painful, disagreeable or distressing, either to the body or mind; to undergo.” In other words, true love is patient. Patient means “Having the quality of enduring evils without murmuring or fretfulness; sustaining afflictions of body or mind with fortitude, calmness or christian submission to the divine will.... It is followed by [or] before the evil endured; as patient of labor or pain; patient of heat or cold. Not easily provoked; calm under the sufferance of injuries or offenses; not revengeful.... Persevering; constant in pursuit or exertion; calmly diligent.... Not hasty; not over eager or impetuous; waiting or expecting with calmness or without discontent.” There is a lot to ponder in these words!! Are you bearing the disagreeable things that your family does patiently? Without complaining—and complaining often? Calmly? Without being easily angered? Without desiring revenge? Perseveringly? Contentedly?
- Charity is kind. “Disposed to do good to others, and to make them happy by granting their requests, supplying their wants or assisting them in distress; having tenderness or goodness of nature; benevolent; benignant.” Again... ponder these words. Do you incline to do good to those round you? Make them happy? Do things for them? Just being loving to them?
- Charity envieth not. Envy means “To feel uneasiness, mortification or discontent, at the sight of superior excellence, reputation or happiness enjoyed by another; to repine at another's prosperity; to fret or grieve one's self at the real or supposed superiority of another, and to hate him on that account.” As a noun, it’s described as “Pain, uneasiness, mortification or discontent excited by the sight of another's superiority or success, accompanied with some degree of hatred or malignity, and often or usually with a desire or an effort to depreciate the person, and with pleasure in seeing him depressed. envy springs from pride, ambition or love, mortified that another has obtained what one has a strong desire to possess.” Are you willing to rejoice at the blessings that those around you have? Are you contented where God has you? Do you have hard feelings against people who have it better than you?
- Charity vaunteth not itself. To vaunt is “To boast; to make a vain display of one's own worth, attainments or decorations; to talk with vain ostentation; to brag. Pride - prompts a man to vaunt and overvalue what he is.” Are you inlined to boast or brag about yourself? Do you make a display of your talents?
- Charity is not puffed up. Puffed is “... inflated with vanity or pride.” Are you proud?
- Charity doth not behave itself unseemly—“Indecently; unbecomingly.” Behaving improperly in any way is unkind to those around you. Are you behaving yourself properly in all things?
- Charity seeketh not her own. Seeking is “To go in [search] or quest of; to look for; to search for by going from place to place.... To inquire for; to ask for; to solicit; to endeavor to find or gain by any means.” To own is “To have the legal or rightful title to; to have the exclusive right of possession and use.” Are you always on the lookout for the things you have a right to? Are you willing to forego some of your privileges?
- Charity is not easily provoked. “Excited; roused; incited; made angry; incensed.” Are you easily angered? Irritated? Snappy?
- Charity thinketh no evil. Evil is “Having bad qualities of a natural kind; mischievous; having qualities which tend to injury, or to produce mischief…. Having bad qualities of a moral kind; wicked; corrupt; perverse; wrong;…. Unfortunate; unhappy; producing sorrow, distress, injury or calamity…. Not well; not with justice or propriety; unsuitable…. Not virtuously; not innocently…. Injuriously; not kindly.” Thinking evil can range from thinking of doing things that hurt people, to thoughts that are wicked, to thoughts that make you depressed, to thinking unfairly of people, to thoughts that are indecent, to thoughts that are unkind. That’s deep. It affects every part of your thought-life. Your thoughts have a powerful effect on your life. Are you thinking good thoughts?
- Charity rejoiceth not in iniquity. To rejoice is “To experience joy and gladness in a high degree; to be exhilarated with lively and pleasurable sensations; to exult.” Iniquity is defined as “Injustice; unrighteousness; a deviation from rectitude…. Want of rectitude in principle…. A particular deviation from rectitude; a sin or crime; wickedness; any act of injustice.” Rectitude by the way, is “In morality, rightness of principle or practice; uprightness of mind; exact conformity to truth, or to the rules prescribed for moral conduct, either by divine or human laws.” In short, true love is not gladdened or joyful at an act of injustice or wickedness. Refusing to find joy in wickedness or injustice is naturally hard to human beings. Watch your heart. Are you made happy by unkindness or wrongdoing to/against someone?
- Charity rejoiceth in the truth. Again, rejoicing is “To experience joy and gladness in a high degree; to be exhilarated with lively and pleasurable sensations; to exult.” Truth is “Conformity to fact or reality; exact accordance with that which is, or has been, or shall be…. Conformity of words to thoughts, which is called moral truth…. Veracity; purity from falsehood; practice of speaking truth; habitual disposition to speak truth… Correct opinion. Fidelity; constancy…. Honesty; virtue…. Sincerity.” Are you gladdened by the virtuousness of others? Do you find joy in being honest, sincere, faithful?
- Charity beareth all things. Bearing means “supporting,” which in turn means “To endure without being overcome; as, to support pain, distress or misfortunes…. To bear; to endure; as, to support fatigues or hardships; to support violent exertions.” Do you endure all things without giving up? Are you willing to endure hardship?
- Charity believeth all things. “To credit upon the authority or testimony of another; to be persuaded of the truth of something upon the declaration of another, or upon evidence furnished by reasons, arguments, and deductions of the mind, or by other circumstances, than personal knowledge. When we believe upon the authority of another, we always put confidence in his veracity…. To expect or hope with confidence; to trust….” True love is willing to think the best of people. To believe that they’re telling the truth. To trust. Are you willing to think well of people? Are you willing to trust people?
- Charity hopeth all things. Hope is “To cherish a desire of good, with some expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable…. To place confidence in; to trust in with confident expectation of good.” True love believes that people can change. True love has confidence in redemption. Are you willing to give second chances? To believe that all people can be changed through God?
- Charity endureth all things. Endurance is defined as “To last; to continue in the same state without perishing; to remain; to abide. To bear; to brook; to suffer without resistance, or without yielding.”
- Charity never faileth. Failing is “To become deficient; to be insufficient; to cease to be abundant for supply; or to be entirely wanting…. To decay; to decline; to sink; to be diminished.… To be extinct; to cease; to be entirely wanting; to be no longer produced….To desert; to disappoint; to cease or to neglect or omit to afford aid, supply or strength.” True love doesn’t stop loving. True love doesn’t stop giving. True love doesn’t become less loving.
I don’t know about you, but just reading every single one of those descriptions and comparing it to my life is convicting. I encourage you to do the same.
The fact is, true love affects every part of our lives. If we truly love people, we will be careful how we think and act and speak. Loving people starts with the heart. If you truly want to love people, you will have to change. True love is an effort. We are not naturally loving in this way, nor are people loveable! True love draws us closer to God because we cannot have true love until His love is within us, and because we cannot show true love without His strength. But in 1 Corinthians 14:1, we are told, “Follow after charity.” The word follow is defined as “To pursue as an object of desire; to endeavor to obtain.” Having love isn’t an option—it’s a commandment. It’s something we need to actively pursue & ponder. It’s something we need to live out.
True love is Godly love.
True love is being Godlike.
True love is true love.
Will you choose to show true love?
