Supreme Love
There is no value or human expression of greater importance than love. Paul’s incomparable treatise on this subject in 1 Corinthians 13 is sandwiched between two chapters that deal with spiritual gifts. The Corinthians focused too much on their display of such gifts, so the apostle showed them the “more excellent way” (1 Corinthians 12:31). Interestingly, he made no attempt to define love but instead described its importance and expression.
The type of love Paul is talking about isn’t human in origin but, rather, comes from God—a part of His very nature. It’s unselfish, sacrificial love that acts on behalf of someone else. Since the Lord wants to transform our character into the image of His Son, this priority makes perfect sense. You see, whenever we display such selfless care for one another, that’s when we are the most like Christ.
The first three verses of this chapter issue us a warning. Without the motivation of love, all our good deeds—even service for the Lord—will profit us nothing. In God’s eyes, a loving spirit is more important than all our impressive words, knowledge, faith, generosity, and self-sacrifice. When we stand before Christ to be judged for our good works, those deeds done for selfish reasons will not be worthy of reward.
We are all blinded to some degree when it comes to our motives, so discerning why we serve God or do good deeds can be difficult. Pray to know your heart’s hidden intentions, and replace any self-centered motivations with His “more excellent way” of love. Then your works will be of eternal value.
Faith in Difficult Times
Faith can fell forests. Even if the tribes had realized what treasures lay above them, they would hardly have dared to suppose it possible to rid the hills of their dense forest-growth. But as God indicated their task, He reminded them that they had power enough. The visions of things that seem impossible are presented to us, like these forest-covered steeps, not to mock us, but to incite us to spiritual exploits which would be impossible unless God had stored within us the great strength of His own indwelling.
Difficulty is sent to reveal to us what God can do in answer to the faith that prays and works. Are you straitened in the valleys? Get away to the hills, live there; get honey out of the rock, and wealth out of the terraced slopes now hidden by forest.
A Special Kind of Love
So how are people able to “love” when they don’t know God? They can’t. At least they are not able to love with God’s type of love. God’s love is a special love the Bible calls agape. It is a love that flows out of the will and does not change. It is the most stable and predictable kind of love and the only type that can provide a lasting foundation in marriage.
Often, when people say they love someone, they are just talking about sexual desire (the Greek word eros, from which we get the word erotic) or a passionate feeling (thumos, from which we get our thermos). These kinds of feelings come and go. When they go for very long, many people give the old line, “I don’t love you anymore,” and they are out the door.
Agape love, however, is a committed and sacrificial love that is modeled after Jesus. When Jesus tells us He loves us, He isn’t talking about a feeling that comes and goes. He is telling us He is committed to us forever and will not change. Whether His feelings for us are positive or negative, it doesn’t change His commitment to us.
Consider what you mean when you tell each other, “I love you.” Are you saying that you are experiencing a fleeting feeling, or are you saying you are committed to each other forever and will demonstrate love regardless of bad feelings or negative circumstances? It isn’t wrong to express a feeling, as long as when that feeling isn’t there anymore, you can still say, “I love you,” and do the right thing regardless of the situation.
The most stable and dependable people in relationships are those who are submitted to the influence of the Holy Spirit. They are empowered by a supernatural love that will do the right thing through thick and thin. God’s agape love is the highest form of love and it will transform any person, relationship, or marriage under its influence.
Lets Consult the Architect
Let’s consult the architect for three ways to live in this wonderful establishment called marriage. We’ll use Proverbs 24:3-4 as our home base:
God’s pattern for marriage is simple: wisdom, understanding, and knowledge.
“By wisdom a house is built….”
First, let’s lay the foundation. The word built comes from the Hebrew word that means “to restore.” It’s the same word God uses when He took the rib from Adam’s chest and rebuilt it into a woman. God says it takes wisdom to build this kind of house. Wisdomessentially means “seeing with discernment.” It’s the idea of seeing the broad picture of something. When you choose to look at the broad picture rather than the petty details, you build a strong foundation.
Established in Hebrew means to set in order something that is cluttered or to stand upright something that has fallen. If wisdom is seeing with discernment, then this second piece is responding to what you see with insight. How can you do that? With understanding.
In other words, an irritation I would normally take personally, I don’t take personally any longer. A conflict that cuts into my plan will not irritate me if I have wisdom and understanding. I will see it as God sees it, as good or necessary for me at this time.
“By knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.”
Man has turned it the other way! So many are mesmerized into thinking, “All we need, Honey, are more things.” But misery just increases as our rooms remain empty of God’s riches. God says, “By wisdom it can be restored. By understanding it can be set right. By knowledge those rooms can have those qualities that’ll never burn up.”
Now, before you pass this article on to your spouse with the instructions, “Here, Honey, read how you should change,” remember the place to start remodeling your marriage is with you. I have found that someone can be fulfilled in the most difficult circumstances if he has wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, or is working toward that end. But I have also found individuals who have a built-in, perfect opportunity for a happy home but lack wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, and they’re miserable. It’s remarkable. Ask the Architect to build within you a heart of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding for your mate.
Speaking To Dry Bones
Speak Well To Others
“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” (James 1:9).
“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person” (Colossians 4:6).
I believe that graciousness of speech, speaking well of others (even my enemy or opponent) is something God requires of me. As someone who rarely shies away from conversation or confrontation, every day is a battle for me in this regard. I find myself asking,
Is this a hill to die on?
Is this going to change anyone’s mind, anyway?
Is it even my job to change this person’s mind?
Is this loving? Worth the fuss? Compassionate?
More times than not, recently, I’ve begun to type up a Facebook comment only to delete it before pressing “post.” Not because I changed my stance or re-thought my opinion. Rather, because words don’t die on the World Wide Web – and I have no second chance at a first impression. Perhaps the fewer cold, impersonal words I type into Facebook in the midst of an argument, the fewer tempers will be lost, fewer hearts will hurt, and fewer friends will feel annoyed, alone, or attacked. Perhaps the more I distance myself from the social media circus, the more I can pay attention to the flesh-and-blood conversations that might arise over the dinner table or on the train. Perhaps the less I scroll through Facebook, the more chances I’ll have to look into people’s faces and eyes.
“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold” (Ephesians 4:22-27).
Our Great Mission
Before returning to heaven, Jesus gave His disciples the Great Commission, in which He promised to be with believers to the end of the age. That pledge still stands. He doesn’t send us out to do His work on our own. Vowing never to leave us, He gave the assurance that all tasks He assigns will be achieved through us by His Holy Spirit.
What an honor to be included in the Lord’s redemptive plan for the world! He invites you to have a vital part in His kingdom work of transforming what is broken and giving new life. Everything you do in obedience is an opportunity for His Spirit to work powerfully through you!
Keep the Fire Burning
“Don’t put out the Spirit’s fire…” 1Thessalonians 5:19
This is a very short, specific, and targeted encouragement from Paul. Can you receive this teaching today? If not, you may already be quenching the Spirit and the fire that is within you from the point of salvation.
When we accept Christ as Savior, and confess that we are powerless over our sins, and need a Savior to deliver us from our own selves; at that very moment a fire is installed within us. A fire that wants more of Him; a fire that is hungry for the Word of God; a fire that is willing to share our faith, and a fire that believes that the salvation we have just received is the most important thing of all. Do you still burn with a fire that drives you to know Him more? If not, you could very well be in the process of putting out your own God-given fire. That would be so tragic. We all need to be rekindled from time to time. To have that fire stoked in our hearts, to have the embers stirred, and a fresh breath from the Holy Spirit blown across our spirits in order to fan the flames of our original flame. How easy it is to allow the issues of life to quench our fire. How easy to let the last hot coals of our newfound faith smolder and go out. We need fresh wind and fresh fire in our lives. We need something to put us back in touch with the burning desire to tell the whole world about Jesus and how He has changed our lives.
Paul is encouraging believers here not to put out that passionate fire of our faith. The world already tries to quench us; the enemy tries to quench us. We should not put out our own fire. But we do. We do it by allowing the enemy to discourage us. We do it by spending too much time in the world and around the people of the world. We do it by not allowing the Spirit to feed our fire. You were saved ‘on fire’ for the Lord. What happened? Troubles, worries, temptations, strife, or whatever other issue that has beset you? Use God’s Word to rekindle that burning ember of hope inside you. Let the Spirit blow on the embers of your faith, and reignite your faith, and zeal. We should all be encourages by these simple words… Don’t put out the Spirit’s fire; instead feed it with fellowship, truth and witness. Feed it with the Word, and with Christian Music, and worship, and the things of the Lord.
Bringing Good Out Of Bad
Don’t misunderstand. I am not saying that everything that happens to you in life is God’s perfect will. That’s just not true. There are a lot of things that are not God’s will. If you go out and sin, that’s not God’s will. If somebody sins against you, that’s not God’s perfect will.
But God does have a permissive will. If I go out and I overeat, I pay the consequences. If I go out and wreck my body, I pay the consequences. God does not cause evil and God does not cause suffering. But He does allow them because they have a purpose. God permits them and then He uses them.
God is an expert at bringing good out of bad. He could have kept Paul out of prison in Philippi but instead He let Paul go to prison and the jailer became a believer as a result. God could have kept Jesus from the cross but He let Him go — His own Son — He let Him suffer and die. Did He bring any good out of that? I’d say He did!
God loves to turn crucifixions into resurrections. The things you wish were most removed from your life are often the very things that God is using to shape you and make you into the believer of character He wants you to be. He wants to use that problem for good in your life. There’s something more important than your pain. It’s what you’re learning from that pain. God is in control.
So what’s the key? What’s our response? Our response is to look past the pain. “This is the reason we never lose heart. These troubles which are temporary are winning for us a permanent, a glorious and solid reward out of proportion to our pain. So we don’t look at the temporary situation. We look beyond to see the eternal benefits.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-17 Phillips)
Half-Hearted Commitment
In Revelation 3, Jesus spoke of lukewarm individuals. He said, “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were one or the other!”. It’s interesting that Jesus said He would prefer either hot or cold. You would think He would have said, “I would rather you be hot. But if lukewarm is all I can get, it’s better than nothing.”
You would think that lukewarm would be more acceptable to Him, because it is somewhat close to hot. But Jesus was saying, “I don’t want lukewarm. I don’t want half-hearted commitments. I want you to decide. I want you in or I would rather you were out.”
Here’s why. If you’re hot, you’re in. If you’re on fire, if you’re walking with God, then you’re where God wants you to be. But if you’re cold, hopefully you will at least realize you’re cold and one day realize your need for Christ and come to Him.
But the lukewarm person is in the worst state of all because he is self-deceived. The lukewarm person says, “I go to church. I read the Bible sometimes. I kind of believe in God—when it’s convenient.” That is the worst state of all. What is your spiritual temperature today?