2025 Love Is

1 Corinthians 13

The Church in Corinth was not one without issues, to say the least. They were acting “childish” and not mature, being carnal with regards in which how they were treating one another. They had a lot of problems, and one of which being the emphasis of spiritual gifts – The gift of tongues being one that seemed to be emphasized the most.

Their foundation was off. Or better, they were off of their foundation. They had forsaken love and were not waking in unity. They had forsaken servant hood and were in a battle in who could be the greatest. And Paul, here and in other letters, tries to redirect them to what really matters and strives to help them find their foundation again.

We see that it is possible to have gifts, use gifts, and not have love for others when they are used. It is possible to have all knowledge and faith without love. It is even possible to give up our lives without love. And with all of these actions, without love, it profits that person nothing – It would be or will be of no spiritual benefit.

I can be loud, appear to be very spiritual, and appear to be very sacrificial without love.

It’s difficult to judge the heart, even our own hearts. Our motive and intentions are difficult to discern from time to time. Often, they are not even considered...

God sees the motives and desires behind the action and all is recorded to be on that day added for our benefit, or to be burned away without adding anything to our reward in heaven.

Love seems to be the measure of all things. Love seems to be the reason why, or should be the reason why we do what we do. Why do we worship, serve or pray to God? Without love, we do it in fear; but when perfect love saves and drives out fear, we can therefore act in love. Love can be the foundation. What does love look like?

Love… or Charity... may be used in your translation. I like this word. The word “charity” means “love in action.”

The look of love, the picture of love, is the heart reaching out in sacrificial effort.

1.     Love is patient and kind: Love suffers long and is kind. It’s easy to love the lovable, those whom we get along with. But what about those other ones? You know, the ones with a different personality, different humor, different work, different gifting, and different education. We are called to do this out of Christ’s love in us.

Look at Ephesians 4:32.

We are called to accept one another with all of our brokenness, with all of our messed up selves. We are called to put up with petty offenses, not retaliating with an eye for an eye philosophy, but with kindness, gentleness and self control. Based on the Gospel, we have a foundation for humility, out of which we can look through Christ eyes and see people the way He sees them and treat them how He treated and treats us, with long suffering and kindness, seeking to be useful in another person’s life.

Patience and kindness is also mentioned in the list of the fruit of the Spirit. They are inseparable from charity, or from love. No one can be love, or be loving without being kind, and we will not be kind if we are impatient with someone.

Jesus is Love. Jesus is long suffering. Jesus is Kind.

2.     Love does not envy: Proverbs 14:30 – “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” It is the gangrene that is found in the churches today. How do we act or react to another person’s blessing, benefit, success, gifting or talents? Not all Christians look the same, nor are we all gifted the same; we don’t have the same talents and we are not all in the same tax bracket. Love cannot exist with envy in the way; it’s got to be rooted out.

Love delights and esteems others. Love honors other. Love celebrates another’s success and ability; it does not hate another because of what they have, believing that it was wrongfully placed.

Cain killed Abel because of... envy, and hatred continues to breed death in relationships today. After Abel’s offering was favored, and Cain became furious, the Lord said to Cain: “Why are you furious? Why do you look despondent? If you do what is right, won’t you be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”

Joseph and the coat of many colors. His brothers were so envious of him. Saul and David. Jesus and the religious leaders. We have many examples of what envy does, or what it looks like. And we know today what it looks like and what it feels like, and the aftermath of it as well.

Be aware of envy; be ready to confess it and be ready to thank God for someone else’s blessing and gifting. Be ready to honor and cheer for the other. Love does not seek its own; it does not covet; it is not selfish.

*Our gifts are given to build up others, not ourselves.

Jesus did not seek to be in the spot light. He was the humble Servant.

Read Philippians 2:2-8.

Christ was not envious.           Love is not envious.

3.     Love is not puffed up: Love does not parade itself; it is not prideful or arrogant. Love does not brag or point to one’s own self.

The Corinthians were boastful about many things. They were bragging about which apostle they followed, being critical of Paul, boasting about immorality in the church, suing each other in court, and bragging about spiritual gifts and positions in the church.

      We all have a desire to be noticed and to be valued for what we do, or who we are. We sometimes believe that we are going unnoticed, and others need help noticing us, so we magnify ourselves, sometimes in a subtle way, and sometimes not so subtle ways.

Love acts differently. Love magnifies God. Love magnifies others.

We tend to make much of what we do or accomplish.

Paul had much to brag about, but he chose not to. He understood something of God's grace, the grace that gives and enables all to do all that they do, even to be saved, to have faith and hope.

It is by God's grace we have or can do anything; so we are left without boasting.

Jesus did not boast. Jesus did not brag. He did not make much of Himself, but gave Himself up as a servant to make much of His servants; and we now make much of Christ. Love does not boast.

4.     Love does not act rudely; it is not selfish.

Someone was asked a philosophical question: "What does it mean to be human?" The response was: "If I was to ignore you and your question right now, you would know what it feels like to be human."

It comes down to value and valuing one another.

We are called to be value one another and to be "others oriented." Love calls us to listen and pay attention to others.

Love has good manners. Love does not seek to cause problems or to belittle others. Love is not condescending. Love is not selfish. Love is respectful and honoring. Love is courteous.

We have all been on the other side. We have all felt or believed that we were not valued. We can hear, sense, see a conversation that is rude, demeaning or condescending. You can feel the tension or the heat. During dialogue you can hear when the other person does not care what you have to say. You can sense when the communication is "it's all about me."

Our testimony is not one that should be marked as rude, but of gentleness and respect. We value others.

We know that we are made by God, for God, and we know the value of God the Son Who died for mankind.

Jesus was not rude; Jesus is not rude; Love is not rude.

5.     Love does not think evil, keeping record of wrongs, rejoicing in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth:

Instead of settling things among themselves as the church should... the Corinthian church were dragging each other to court.

Love does not seek to do harm, to take an eye for an eye; Love seeks reconciliation. Love does not delight in arguments; it is not glad when others get involved in evil, or unrighteous behavior; and love will not join those who do.

Love rejoices when there is reconciliation. Love rejoices when the truth prevails and people are brought together in unity. Love celebrates when the one committing iniquity repents and there is forgiveness, and relationships are restored.

Love does not rejoice in the carnal drama that goes on…

Jesus does not keep records of wrongs. Our model prayer is "Father, forgive my debts as I forgive my debtors." Love does not keep records of wrongs and love rejoices in the truth.

6.     Love bears all things, and believes all things, hopes in all things, and therefore endures all things: Love seeks to protect, seeks to watch out for others, withstanding shortcomings or faults; it seeks to cover another person's failures.

Joseph and Mary story: Joseph wanted to cover Mary and protect her from public shame. This does not mean that we excuse sin or wrongdoing at any point. But, love seeks to strengthen what is weak and shield that which is vulnerable, that which is open to physical or emotional attack.

Love expresses confidence and trust in others. To say "love believes all things" is not to say that love is naïve. Love does not second guess, it does not question whether of not the person should be loved; love, or charity is a loving response. Godly Charity chooses to love.

Love hopes, it sees the potential in others and seeks to help them become what they are capable of becoming. Love hopes for another's salvation; love hopes to see them restored; love hopes to see forgiveness made; love hopes for greater gifts to be given to others and that they are all built up. Love hopes.

And as Love continues in this way… Love will endure or persevere; love will remain. This love will endure past the feelings, through the trials, opposition and beyond all the attacks of Satan himself.

7.     Love that continues on in this way of Charity… will never end; Love will never fail... All gifts will come to an end and will cease. Gifts and positions will cease to have force and or authority. Love will not end.

Evil will end; suffering will end; war will end. Love will never end, and will never fail. God has said that He loves us with an everlasting love, and it is our calling to reflect this love to Him and to others.

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put aside childish things. “Meism” is what a child suffers from.

Maturity puts God and others first.

Christian maturity is does not look selfish… but it is selfless… It is self giving.

This whole book reports many childish or carnal things that the people were doing that did not reflect love, that did not reflect maturity, but of childish behavior.

Having and giving love is the sign or mark of a Christ follower, and growing in charity is a sign of maturity in a Christian's life.

Christian Maturity is not determined by age, or by how many years we have been in the church. It does not matter what gifts God has given us. That does not determine Christian maturity...

Love does.

*Read 1 John 4:7-11

God’s love and Gospel is our foundation and power to love one another.

If we are having problems loving… there is only one place to go.

The Source of Love is Jesus Himself.

May we abide in His love and live out of His love.

May this love mark our lives and our church.

With all that will fade away, we will remain with faith, hope and love… But the greatest of these is love.

Pray.