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1st Corinthians Chapter 13 |
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| Eagleswings Ministries Home Page THIS WEB-SITE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION How to receive Jesus as your personal Savior 1st Corinthians Chapter 13 Love |
In 1st Corinthians chapter 13 Paul is talking about love in its fullest meaning; true love to God and man. Without this love we have nothing, the most glorious spiritual gifts are of no use. This is in the sight of God as Paul wrote. "A clear head and a deep understanding are of no value without a forgiving and charitable heart." There may be an open appearance of "good" people to lend a hand where there is not a charitable heart in helping God’s people. The message is doing good to others will do nothing for us, if it be not done from love to God, and love or " good-will to men." If we give away all we have, and think we have love but withhold it from God’s heart it will not profit. In verses 4-7 some of the effects of charity are stated that we may know whether we have this grace; and that if we have not, we may not rest till we have it. This love is a clear sign of God touching us as we profess our faith in Christ. In this beautiful description of the nature and effects of love, it is meant to show the Corinthians that their conduct had, in many respects, been a contrast to it. Today it shows us the same thing. Charity is nothing more than an enemy to selfishness; it does not desire or seek its own praise, or honor, or profit, or pleasure. Not that charity destroys all regard to ourselves, or that the charitable man should neglect himself and all his interests. But charity never seeks its own to the hurt of others or to neglect others. It ever prefers the welfare of others to its private advantage. The divine love dwells in our hearts. To sum up the Excellencies of charity, it is preferred not only to gifts, but to other graces, to faith and hope. Faith fixes on the divine revelation and assents thereto, relying on the divine redeemer. Hope fastens on future happiness, and waits for that; but in heaven, faith will be swallowed up in actual sight, and hope in enjoyment. There is no room to believe and hope, when we see and enjoy. There, love will be made perfect. There we shall perfectly love God. There we shall perfectly love one another. God is love, Where God is to be seen as he is, and face to face, there charity is in its greatest height; there only will it be perfected. Although while we are here now on Earth now. We know that here on the Earth as in verse 4 "Charity suffereth long," even though we have love it is not a promise that we will not suffer. We see this in the news everyday if we listen we will see it around our peers and our co-workers. Love is tough, it takes hard work, and for that love to happen we must have the love of God in us. In verse 8 the promise is "Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophesies, they shall fail;" whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. All this things will fail, cease, or vanish but love will never fail. The love of God will always sustain us as long as we are committed to that same love to God. Love is a long battle as we know it was for Jesus as he died on the cross. For us when we say the vows to our mates we make a vow to God also, He will sustain us through every detail as long as we love him back both as a union and as individuals. We may suffer at times, but this love will never fail. References:
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