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1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, 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.
New International Version (NIV)
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Confession: Melanie and I love the movie the Princess Bride. In a cathedral, with pipe organ playing in the background, the austere priest turns to the King and Princess Buttercup and says (with straight face), "Wuv, twue wuv is what bwings us togethew. Mawwiage, that dweam within a dweam." We are not sure why this parody of marriage so amuses us, except that nobody watching the story wants that wedding to take place at all. She should marry the farmboy who served her by saying, "As you wish," which substituted for his intent, "I love you."
Every time I read Paul's words in a wedding, I remember that God's view of love differs dramatically from what our culture sees. In our consumeristic culture, marriages can become means to our own ends. By contrast, in the scriptures, marriage is a covenant in which both partners say, "I will be who I am supposed to be whether you are or not."
Paul defines love in his letter to the Corinthians, not in the context of a wedding ceremony but in a conversation about God's good gifts to his church. After Paul describes the church as a body in which all members are needed and connected, he shows us a more excellent way, the way of love. When church members do not love each other, and spend their time critiquing the bride of Christ, we make a parody of our relationship with God. Our serious talk about God sounds a bit like, "Wuv, twue wuv." Perhaps this is why the culture does not seem to take us seriously these days. But what if our love for each other looked like Paul's description of God's "no matter what" kind of love in these verses. God knows what great things he might do through us. Wouldn't you like to know, too? I would.
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| Pray with me:
Our loving heavenly Father, teach us to love like you do. Make us patient and kind. Forgive our envy, boasting and pride. Help us to honor each other, laying aside selfishness, quick tempers and score-keeping. Let our hearts rejoice in truth as yours does. Empower us today to protect, trust, hold high hopes for and persevere with the ones we love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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| I want to invite you to join me in memorizing 52 passages this year from the 2017 set of Fighter Verses. You can find the Fighter Verses App at the App Store on your phones or via this link http://fighterverses.com/the-verses/fighter-verses/. As we study the Bible this year, let's look at each text and learn what it says about God.
Joyfully,
Duane
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