How He Loves, part 1

This post has been a long time coming. Earlier this year, you may recall, I studied 1 Corinthians 13 (the “Love Chapter”) and promised to post about it. This chapter describes what love is. Now in our culture, the word “love” has many different meanings – from the ridiculous to the sincere. We say we love a certain hobby. We love food. We love our favorite sports team. We love our pets. We love our family. I am just as guilty of using this word in such a manner. The biblical idea of love, however, does not coincide with the many meanings we give it. In the Bible, love is steadfast (Psalm 25:6 & 57:10), faithful (2 Timothy 2:13), everlasting (Psalm 103: 17; Isaiah 54:8; Lamentations 3:22), unconditional (Romans 8:35-39) and radical (John 3:16; Ephesians 5:2; 1 John 3:1, 4:10). First John 4:8-9 & 16 tells us that love comes from God and, in fact, God is love. So as I studied through 1 Corinthians 13 verse by verse, my assumption was this: if God is love and if the characteristics in this chapter describe love, then these things must be true of God. The logical conclusion of: if A = B and B = C, then A = C. This post and the ones that follow are the results of my study.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5a

Love is patient


The fact that we are all still here and not consumed by God’s holiness and wrath, proves that God is patient. None of us deserve to be here because we have all rebelled against our Creator – the very One we owe our lives to. BUT God is patient, so we are not consumed. He puts up with our sinfulness (1 Peter 3:20; Romans 9:22) so that He may reveal the “immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness to us who believe” (Ephesians 2:7). Jesus Christ longs for us to know Him and give Him glory and He longs to be gracious to us (Isaiah 30:18). The Apostle Peter says that the Lord is not slow in fulfilling His promises but is patient toward us because He does not want any of us to perish without repenting (2 Peter 3:9; also cf. 1 Timothy 1:16). We should count God’s patience as salvation (2 Peter 3:15; also cf. Romans 2:4).


Love is kind

This characteristic coincides with the previous. The Lord Jesus is incredibly kind in that He is patient toward us and chooses to save us (because He doesn’t have to; see Romans 11:22). BUT He goes beyond just not giving us what were deserve (showing us mercy) by giving us what we do not deserve (showing us grace). The Apostle Paul put it this way, “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but because of His own mercy” (Titus 3:4-5). So, one way we see God’s kindness is by His forgiving us through Christ (Ephesians 4:32). He saves us from death and gives us eternal life…with Him (1 John 3:2)! God’s kindness is more than just doing us a favor, it is giving us all we will ever need in Christ (see Ephesians 2:7 quoted above). Again, God’s kindness is meant to lead us to salvation (Romans 2:4)


Love does not envy

According to the dictionary, envy means “to feel discontent or covetousness with regard to another’s advantages; to be resentful or unhappy because someone else possesses what one wishes oneself to possess.” Now, this could never be true of God because if it was, it would mean He is lacking something. God, however, is an all-sufficient being. He needs nothing. The Apostle Paul says that “The God who made the whole world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:24-25). God is perfectly content because He is perfect (Matthew 5:48). Since He is perfect, He wants to give us the best thing possible – Himself. His giving of Himself means our salvation (see Exodus 6:7).


Love does not boast

To boast is to speak with exaggeration and excessive pride about oneself. This characteristic was probably the most difficult to fit into the logical equation above because if God is perfect (and He is), then is it even possible for Him to exaggerate? Everything that is good and right and true finds its perfection in Him. All of His attributes are perfect, so it is impossible to speak with exaggeration about them. Nevertheless, the Bible tells us that Christ is humble, meek and gentle (2 Corinthians 10:1), which is the opposite of boasting. He does not force Himself on us or constantly display His power and greatness in miraculous ways. He instead pursues us gently and speaks quietly to our hearts (Matthew 11:28-29). Instead of requiring us to make a way to Him, He made the way for us by leaving His throne in Heaven and becoming a man (Philippians 2:5-8) so that He might secure our salvation through His life, death and resurrection (Galatians 4:4-5).


Love is not arrogant

Like boasting, arrogance is having an exaggerated opinion of one’s self or abilities. The same argument from above applies. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you by His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9; cf. Romans 15:3, Philippians 2:5-8). For “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for man” (Matthew 20:28), thereby accomplishing our salvation.


Love is not rude

To be rude is to be impolite, rough in nature/behavior/manners, harsh, ungentle, and violent. It is the opposite of kind. The Lord Jesus is most definitely not rude. I already mentioned how He gently pursues us. He Himself testified to His gentleness when He said, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). King David says that God’s gentleness makes us great because He gives us the shield of His salvation to rescue us from danger and protect us from the enemy (2 Samuel 22:36; Psalm 18:35). Through Him we are victorious over sin, death and anything that life may through against us (Romans 8:31-37). His gentleness, therefore, contributes to our salvation.


Side note: Love, patience and kindness are all fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) that He works in believers to show that they belong to Christ and to point others toward Christ.

Country Apples in The Big Apple

In Times Square

New Happenings

My sister and I have moved into our new place. The Lord was ever-so gracious to provide helping hands, rain-free weather, spacious vehicles and apartment furnishings. We are still settling in and unpacking, but it’s starting to look and feel more like “home”. We are incredibly thankful for the Lord’s provision. I am especially living up my short commutes to work. ;)

Call us crazy, but my sister and I have decided to do without Internet. It’s not that we can’t afford it, but that we don’t want to afford it. It will definitely mean making some adjustments (less dependence on email & more dependence on cell phones). Plus, Southern is less than 2 miles away where we have free access to Wi-Fi. :) This will help us both to not waste time and only do what we need to do when online, which I think is a good thing.

Switching gears: After much wonder about what I should be doing to advance the Gospel (besides my involvement with Scarlet Hope), the Lord has opened up several other ministry doors. He has recently pressed upon my heart the idea of being spent for the Gospel (2 Corinthians 12:15). I mean, when it comes down to it, what else really matters? He repeatedly brought this verse to my mind over a span of a few weeks or so before sending ministry opportunities my way. First, the need arose at Rolling Fields for a new children’s Sunday School teacher. After talking to the Lord and to other leaders in the church, I sensed it was something He wanted me to do (though I feel quite inept). I am going to story (chronologically) with them through the Gospels…and I am pretty excited about it. Tomorrow is my first day and we are going to learn about Jesus’ genealogy. There is a fun song by Andrew Peterson that gives the genealogical account of Jesus found in Matthew (in perfect rhyme). I am workin’ on memorizing it.

Second, I learned of a Chinese Bible Study that happens on Friday nights near the U of L campus. I have been twice and met a lot of great people. I admit that I am a little out of place :), but I am trusting that the Lord will guide in this. I met a fresh-to-the-States Chinese student last evening. She said that I was her first American friend. :)

Finally, I heard about a homeless ministry called Exit 0 from both Rolling Fields and my sister’s church. Both churches are looking to partner with this ministry in some shape or form. I am pretty excited about it. My sister says they serve meals on Monday and that her church is going to help. Sign me up.

I am so excited about what the Lord is doing. It is the first I have been able to sense Him leading me in any kind of direction in a long while. It has made me realize how much I took His leading and presence for granted. These too are part of His perfect gifts (James 1:17).

Next weekend, (Lord willing) Kristi and I are going to New York!