1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says...

Today's verses are 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, which read, 

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

What is the more excellent way that Paul want us and the Christians in the Corinthian church to know about the spiritual gifts given by the Holy Spirit?  We found out yesterday that it is love at the core of the use of those spiritual gifts.  The church was grading spiritual gifts and using them to promote themselves rather than promoting God.  The definition of spiritual gifts was needed and also the purpose of them to serve others rather than serving oneself.  With love at the core of the use of the spiritual gifts, it drives out pride in some spiritual gift that would result in divisions and factions.  If love is not there in the use of spiritual gifts then those spiritual gifts are worthless.

What is the definition of love?  Paul gives us a string of words to describe what is at the core of our serving each other with the spiritual gift given by the Holy Spirit for God's glory.  Let's walk down the list.
  • patient - not losing heart
  • kind - fit for use
  • not jealous - zeal with envy
  • does not brag - boast of oneself
  • not arrogant - make proud
  • does not act unbecomingly - indecent
  • does not seek its own - promote oneself
  • not provoked - urge to be sharp
  • does not take into account a wrong suffered - keeping a count of the bad
  • does not rejoice in unrighteousness - does a cheer for a wrong
  • rejoices in the truth - does a cheer for truth
  • bears all things - protects
  • believes all things - thinks to be true
  • hopes all things - expectation of good
  •  endures all things - to remain 
This is a mixture of positive attributes of love and negative attributes of what love is not.  In the context of the church and spiritual gifts you can put together what the church members were doing with the spiritual gifts.  They were being jealous of each other, bragging themselves up, puffing themselves up, practicing indecent acts and all down the negative side of the list.  Paul's definition given from Scripture of what a spiritual gift is brings in the positive side of this list.

 Again, the revelation that is not being said to two people standing at the wedding altar but to the church on how it is to respond to each other in regards to the use of the spiritual gifts given by the Holy Spirit.  It is sad to report that over my 29 years of service in the church that I have seen much of the negative side of this list in the church and among the body of Christ.  I am also thankful to say that I have witnessed the positive side of the list and seen its great results.  Love, when love is defined by God and acted upon keeps us a unity that does great good to the body of Christ. 

"Lord, when we don't love, we sin and when we sin we need to handle it Biblically so that we can get back to love.  Thank You again for a definition given so that we know when we are not acting in love toward others.  Help us to realize that when we are not acting out of love that the body of Christ that You died for is suffering for it at our hands.  Forgive us for not acting out of the love.  Amen."

Pastor Adam
A simple man serving a great God and the local pastor of Stillwater Community Chapel (stillwater-chapel.org). We are in our 38th year of full time ministry. God directed us to this local body of believers on the Western Range of the Rockies to grow with them in mission and mindedness of Christ.

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