Love Is...Faithful

Love Is…Faithful

Pastor Russell Henderson

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, NIV.

Love always trusts. The King James Version says “Love believes all things”, and the New Living Translations says “love never loses faith”.  Considering these statements of faith, how does it apply to love?

In this article I want to look at this concept that love never loses faith.  When a commitment is made to love, it is much more than just to love.  It is a commitment to be patient, it is a commitment to love in even the hardest of circumstances, and it is a commitment to keep faith even when it seems there is no hope.

Has someone hurt you beyond repair?  Have you prayed for an individual (maybe even for years), and it seems they are never going to see the light?  Remember, love never loses faith.

Notice what Hebrews 11:1 says about faith.

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. - Hebrews 11:1 (NLT)

The Greek word used for “faith” in 1 Corinthians 13:7 is pisteuō, and in Hebrews 11:1 the Greek word is pistis.    Both of these words come from the root peithō, which means to be persuaded or to have confidence.  One who has faith is confident that he will see what he has been believing for.  He is persuaded that what he believes for will come to pass.  It may not be today or tomorrow, but it will come to pass.

James tells us that those who waiver in their faith should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  That is a very harsh statement, but God takes faith and belief very seriously.  It was the faith of Abraham that caused him to appear righteous in the eyes of God.  It was his faith that allowed him to be called a “friend of God”.  Noah’s faith caused him to be called an “heir of righteousness”.  Hebrews 11:6 says that faith is the key ingredient in pleasing the Lord.  More than any of our good works and more than any of our fancy words, faith pleases God.

If you find your faith wavering, then you just might not have the love of God operating fully in your life.  If you find yourself giving up after months or years of prayer, you need to give yourself a “love” check.  The word tells us that those who are full of love will never give up.  They will never quit when the going gets rough.  Those who are full of love will only love like the Father loves.  The Father’s love never gives up and never fails.  The Father’s love never ceases; His mercies towards his creation are new every morning.

1 John 3:23 gives us a two-part command:  (1)believe in the name of Jesus and (2) love one another.  You cannot have love without belief in Jesus, and you cannot believe without loving.  Numerous times throughout the book of 1 John the terms “love” and “believe” are used together.  When you are full of the love of God you will not only be trustworthy to others, but you will also have strength to stand and belief for others.

Love Is....Protective

Love Is…Protective

Pastor Russell Henderson

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, NIV.

Love always protects.   When the bible says that love protects, it is not speaking of a secret service type of protection.  The kind of protection that would take a bullet for another.  The kind of protection this passage is referring to is centered around two words:  cover and forbear. 

1 Peter 4:8 tells us that love covers over a multitude of sins.  Does that mean that love helps to hide the sin of another?  Does it conspire with another so that his sins will not be brought into the light?  Absolutely not!  On the contrary, it means that love works even in the midst of sin.  God does not love you any more when you are good and any less when you are bad.  You may feel less loved in the midst of discipline, but His love does not waiver.  His love is constant.  God loves the sinner just as much as the most precious saint.  His mercy and grace is available to cover the sinner like a blanket, even when it is not earned.

Likewise, we should be careful to love no matter how we are treated.  We should continually strive to cover people with the love of God – even when they hurl insults and hurtful words.  This goes back to the issue of imputing sin upon the offender.  When a sin is covered, or hidden, it is invisible to the eyes of love.  The eyes of love choose to see people the way that God sees and does not continually gaze upon the sin—no matter how severe it is.

Love also forbears.  When I graduated from college I had a lot of student loans (I still do, that’s why I don’t do devotions on debt-freedom).  My first job was at a church in the inner-city of St. Louis, MO.  I was a full-time volunteer, if you know what I mean.  Since I did not receive any pay, I could not make payments on my student loans.  I had to apply for a forbearance.  That meant for the next year I would not be required to make payments on my loans.  It was not complete forgiveness, but it was a period of grace for me to get things in order so that I could eventually start making payments.  The government extended patience and grace to me.

To forbear means to withhold, refrain or abstain from.  So, when we say that love forbears all things, it is refraining from passing the judgment or punishment that sin naturally deserves.  Love’s whole purpose is to hold out hope to the offender—to give them another chance to repent and make things right.  God is continually forbearing through His love.  He pours out new mercy every day and calls the sinner to get things right.   As long as there is life and breath in the body, God will continue to be forbearing, but when life leaves, so does the hope.

Friends, as hard as it may be at times, we are called to forbear one another in love.

With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; - Eph 4:2 KJV

To forbear one another takes humility (lowliness and meekness).  It means recognizing that at any moment we could fall into the same traps of the enemy.  It means recognizing that no one is greater and no one is less.  We all need the love and forgiveness of the Savior. 

To forbear one another takes patience (longsuffering), and patience is a continual process.   One may sin against you, but you forgive them in love.  They may repeat the offense, and you forgive them in love.  Jesus said to forgive continually.  And as long as there is breath you should continue to love and forgive them.   Why?  Because that’s how God is toward us.   When you choose to punish instead of forgive you are placing yourself in a higher place than God.  When you choose to withhold love, you are acting in a way that God never would act.  But when you forgive and love you are lining yourself up with the will and command of God.

In love, be patient & humble.  Forbear everyone and continue to offer hope and mercy.  Cover their sin with your love and choose to see them through the eyes of grace.

Love Is...Evil vs. Truth

Love Is…Evil vs. Truth

Pastor Russell Henderson

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, NIV.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  The full meaning of this statement is found in the two prepositions used.  Notice the two statements and the difference between them:  “delight in evil” and “rejoice with the truth”.  These two words make all the difference in the world.

Let’s first examine the phrase “Love does not delight in evil”.  The Greek word used for “delight” means to rejoice, be well, enjoy, or thrive.  One who enjoys or thrives in a situation feels that he operates at his best only in that situation.  I thrive in musical settings.  I am at my best when I am playing music.  I enjoy standing behind the keyboard playing and singing.  A computer programmer thrives when he is engrossed in as much computer equipment as possible.  A performer thrives on the cheers of a crowd.  If love thrived in evil it would not be at its best unless it was surrounded by and immersed in evil.  But love does not delight in evil.  This means that it does not enjoy being even near evil and unrighteousness.  It would rather be as far as possible from sin.

Notice the similarity to Psalm 1:1.

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, …

-       Psa 1:1 NIV

Notice the word in is used all three times.  This tells us that you will be blessed when you choose not to make evil your dwelling place.  Avoid it at all costs.  Don’t even entertain sin and unrighteousness because you will eventually get sucked into it, and the one who has been sucked into sin often has great difficulty getting out.

So, if love does not rejoice in evil then what does it do?  It rejoices with the truth.  It’s interesting that the Greek word for rejoice is the same word as delight except that it has a prefix added to it.  That prefix means with.  The word with means to accompany or identify.  I love taking my wife with me.  When she is with me, she is a part of who I am, and she helps identify me.  There are qualities that she possesses that I don’t, but when she is with me I suddenly possess those qualities.

It is the same with love. Love and truth coincide together.  Love takes truth everywhere it goes.  Love is not love unless it is with truth.  Love is identified by the truth that goes with it.  Love is not desperate to be near truth, it willingly accompanies truth.  When you find truth you will find love, and when you find love you will always find truth.

The word with is a voluntary word.  It states “I am choosing to bring this person/thing/etc. with me.  I could give it up at any time, but it would change who I am”.  The bible tells us to come before the Lord with thanksgiving.  We must willingly bring a spirit of thanks with us.  We could choose not to, but then we would not be a thankful person, and we could not come into God’s presence.

Love chooses to make truth its companion.  It would rather be with truth than anything else.  When you choose to be a person of love, you are also choosing to take truth with you everywhere you go.  You are choosing to speak the truth no matter the cost.  The Lord blesses love, and He blesses truth.  When you choose to be a person of love, you choose to reject evil and sin.  You will avoid even the proximity of sin.

Choose to be a person of love.  Let love, truth, and righteousness be your guide.  Let truth speak for you. Turn your face from evil and look toward the truth.

Love Is...Not Resentful

Love Is…Not Resentful

Pastor Russell Henderson

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, NIV.

Love keeps no record of wrongs.  One translations says, “it is not resentful”.  Another translations says, “it does not impute evil”.  Still another says, “it does not think evil”.  I think these alternate translations are a little more accurate to the original text.

When we say that love keeps no record of wrongs or wrongdoings, we are placing all of the focus and emphasis on the act – the behavior that was done toward us.  However, when we say that love does not impute evil, or is not resentful, we are placing the emphasis on the individual doing the wrong act.

To impute evil means that you are placing the evil, the bad behavior, or the wrong act upon that person over and over again.   In the Old Testament when a priest offered a sacrifice, he would impute the sin onto the sacrifice.  In other words, he would take all of the sin of the nation and place it upon the sacrifice.  That sacrifice then became the embodiment of the sin of the nation.  2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us that the sin of all mankind was imputed upon Jesus, and He became sin for us, even though He was perfect and without sin.  Instead of the sin being imputed upon us, Jesus became the embodiment of the sin of mankind.

When you impute, or account, evil upon someone, you cannot view or remember them as anything but evil.  You cannot look at them without seeing their sin or wrongdoing.  You no longer see the individual.  You cannot remember their face or name.  All you see is the sin.  You hear their name and remember the sin.  You see their face, and the resentment wells up inside of you all over again.

Friends, Paul tells us that love sees through the sin and wrongdoing and sees into the heart of the person.  This is the love of God.  The word tells us that man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7).  Let’s put that in today’s terms.   Man, which would represent the flesh or the mind of the flesh,  can only see and judge others from his outward appearance. The flesh can only encounter other flesh; it can only see things from a fleshly perspective.  But when man becomes filled with the Spirit and love of God, he is now more than flesh. He has been reborn and is now a Spirit being.  He can now see with eyes of the Spirit and think the thoughts of the Spirit.  As a result he is able to look beyond the fleshly surface and see into man’s heart.

Think about it this way:  in heaven there will be no anger, bitterness, hatred, or unforgiveness.  Why?  Because we are no longer fleshly beings.  We are pure spirit – clothed in the Spirit of God.  Jesus said in Matthew 6 to pray that God’s will would be done on earth as it is in heaven.  God’s desire and plan is for us to be clothed in the Spirit on earth even as we will be one day in heaven.  His desire is for us to love as we will love in heaven.  Even though we continue to contend with the flesh while we are on this earth, we can move and breathe and have our being in Him.  In other words, we now have the ability – through the Spirit – to act, think, and see the way that we will in heaven.

I honestly don’t know if it is possible to truly forget every wrong that is done to us.  But, I don’t think that Paul is saying that love must be forgetful.  I believe that what Paul is saying is that in this world people are going to treat us wrong.  They are going to hurt us.  Many times the same person will hurt us many times over.  But the love and the Spirit of God inside of us will change our perspective.  And even in the midst of hurt and pain we can impute goodness and righteousness on them.   After all, through God’s ultimate act of love, he looks beyond our sin and credits us with righteousness.