The Light and Shadow of Love continued...
Eternity Online: John Edmiston (Editor)
Eternity-Inspiration for Sunday 12th October 1997
______________________________________________________
Hi folks, just preached in a small church on "The Release of The Holy
Spirit" and the whole congregation came forward for prayer, the
service ended up going for 2.5 hours by the time I finished praying
and God moved mightily! Praise the Lord! It was like a "Pentecost"
for me! Praise His mighty and wonderful name!
_______________________________________________________
The Light and Shadow of Love continued...
(1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NRSV) Love is patient; love is kind; love is
not envious or boastful or arrogant {5} or rude. It does not insist on
its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; {6} it does not rejoice
in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. {7} It bears all things,
believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
We have seen how this passage defines love in terms of light and
shadow - in terms of what love is and what love is not so we get the
clearest and most accurate possible picture of the pre-eminent
virtue.Today we shall look at verses 5&6 {5} or rude. It does not
insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; {6} it does
not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth.
Love is not like the office grump. It is not rude, does not insist on
its own way, and is not irritable or resentful. Some recent movies
have made these negative traits almost honourable and called them
'assertiveness". A character in Steel Magnolias proudly tells the
world that she has been "in a bad mood for 40 years". These are the
sins of strong self-centred person. The "get outa my way" type.
These are the road hogs, the people who push into queues and the
difficult committee members of this world. Is your blood pressure
beginning to rise just thinking of them - then beware that is a good
sign you might be one too! (see irritable and resentful..)
{6} it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth.
Certain perverse "initiation ceremonies" seem to rejoice in
wrongdoing. They are proud of someone getting revoltingly drunk or
sleeping with someone they have no intention of marrying. There is a
pride in sin. Love does not rejoice in these things. If you love
your friends then you will not let them be subject to such things.
Love rejoices with the truth. Love rejoices when people repent or
get a deeper grasp of God or even if they master mathematics. Love
rejoices when people learn and grow in all of God's truth.
Putting this together we should take our grumpiness to God and let
Him transform it into love. We should forsake wrongdoing and ask God
to take away any love we have of it. We should then rejoice in the
truth wherever we find it. If we did just these three things in
every church what wonderful loving places they would soon become!
Prayer:
Holy Spirit, transforming fire of love abide in our hearts so that we
may let go of all our rudeness, our insisting on our own way, our
irritability and our resentfulness. Transmute this dross into gold.
We repent of it now Lord, set us free from having an unloving
character and make us like Jesus in loving others. Break from our
lives evil affections that cause us to rejoice in blatant sin and
wicked ways and to be perversely proud of sin. We forsake these wrong
desires now. Let us rejoice only in the truth, only in the good, only
in the pure and holy. Amen.
---------------------------------------------------------------
This devotional may be freely distributed for ministry purposes
Questions and comments may be sent to:
[email protected]
(not to the list please)
John Edmiston ([email protected])
Editor - Eternity Online Magazine http://www.eternitymag.com/
A Biblical Corner of The Internet
Eternity Inspiration - Free daily devotionals
http://www.eternitymag.com/etinsp.htm
Tell your friends to subscribe!