True Love

1 Corinthians 13

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.  And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. 

Love suffers long and is kind; 

love does not envy; 

love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 

does not behave rudely, 

does not seek its own, is not provoked, 

thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, 

but rejoices in the truth; 

bears all things, 

believes all things,

 hopes all things, 

endures all things. 
Love never fails. 

But whether  there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; 
but the greatest of these is love.

Last week our pastor spoke on these verses and he asked us to replace the word love with the name of Jesus and then to replace the word love with our own name, what a contrast!

Can you say hand on heart that you never seek your own way, that you never allow yourself to be provoked? That you never envy someone, and that you never ever go around feeling proud of your achievements and that you never like to hear the praise of men? How would you feel if no one ever acknowledged what you had done? Would you be upset that no one noticed, would you be angry that no one seemed to care? If your motive is to seek the praise of men then that is all you are going to get, but if your motive is love, love for the Lord and love for your fellow man then it doesn't matter a jot who knows what you've said or done, what matters is that the Lord knows, and He knows the true motive of your heart. 

And that little bit of information about someone, it's not really hurting to pass it on surely? Think carefully before you speak if you were on the receiving end would you still be so eager? Love doesn't talk unkindly about people, love doesn't spread rumours and untruths, love encourages, builds up, and speaks the truth. Challenge yourself today and put your name in this chapter and then ask the Lord for His help, and the help of the Holy Spirit to walk in this sacrificial love, you will find that you will soon change and that others will notice the change. When they ask why tell them you have replaced the word me for love.