Love Is A Priority

1 Corinthians 13: 4: "Love suffereth long, and is kind;
love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up."

The world around us is in a frenzy.
So, we have instant tea, instant coffee, and and instant results mentality.
Hurry, worry, and bury are words seem to characterize our fast-paced generation.

A mother complained to her doctor that she was "all run down".
The doctor replied: "No, ma'am you're all wound up."

Have you ever thought that evil is often done in a hurry.
On the night of our Lord's betrayal, He spoke to Judas and said,
"That thou doest, do quickly." (John 13: 27)

On the mount of temptation, Satan offered Jesus "the kingdoms of the world." (Luke 4: 5)
And he promised them immediately if Jesus would fall down and worship Him.
Satan promised Jesus a shortcut.
Essentially, he was saying, "You don't have to die on the cross to gain the kingdoms
of the world, I'll give them to you in a hurry."

In contrast to an impatient world, God's love is supremely patient and kind.
As an artist blends colors to produce a painting, Paul draws together the characteristics of love
which give us a portrait of Jesus.
We could truthfully say, "Jesus suffereth long and was kind.
Jesus never envied. Jesus vaunted not Himself."

Every characteristic of love listed by Paul was true of Jesus.
However, 1 Corinthians 13 was written not to describe Jesus, but to describe
what we are to be like.
Are we patient and kind?
Are we are free of envy and self-importance?

Love is patient.
"Love suffereth long, and is kind." (1 Corinthians 13: 4)
The Greek word for the phrase, "suffereth long," literally means "to have a long temper"
as opposed to a short temper.

Exodus 16 describes the children of Israel as they wandered through the wilderness.
"And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron
in the wilderness." (Exodus 16: 2)
The Lord could have responded by raining down fire, but instead, "Then said the Lord unto Moses,
Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you." (Verse 4)
God is patient!

Jesus Christ spent His life caring for others.
Throughout His ministry, He went about healing the sick, feeding the hungry,
comforting the bereaved -- always helping others.
And though He was often misunderstood, misused, and rejected, Jesus remained patient.
He never stopped giving love.

Jesus was long-suffering with His weak-willed disciples who disappointed Him so often.
He was mercifully to the despised and to the mentally disturbed.
He was long-suffering with Pilate, and the Roman Centurion, and with the crucified thief. (Luke 23)

Jesus suffered long and was kind, even in His dying hours.
After the nails had done their cruel punishment, He cried out, "Father, forgive them;
for they know not what they do." (Luke 23: 34)

I read the story of two mountain goats who approached one another on a narrow ledge,
high up on the side of a mountain.
Realizing that there was no room to pass, they reared and bucked, but neither budged.
They backed up, charged, and locked horns again, but each held his ground.
Again they parted and charged; then, like the Rock of Gibraltar they stood unmovable.

Finally, the more sensible one knelt down, and let the other climb over him.
Then, both went merrily on their way.
We might not like to hear this, but sometimes, we must let people walk over us.

Love is long-suffering.

Dr. Harry Ironside used to tell of a young man who became impatient because
a church business meeting was not going his way, disrupted the meeting by shouting,
"I want my rights! I want my rights!"

An elderly church member responded, "Did I hear our young friend say that he wanted
his rights?
If he received his rights, he would be judged and sent to hell.
Jesus Christ went to the cross to die for our 'wrongs', and make us right."
With that, the young man apologized for acting impatient rather than loving,
and the meeting continued.

Christian love is willing to suffer for a long time.

Love is kind.
"And is kind." (1 Corinthians 13: 4)

Goethe wrote, "Kindness is the golden chain by which society is bound together."
Our world is starving for kindness -- for the expression of a warm, sympathetic nature.
Wordsworth described it as "The best portion of a good man's life."

The word, "kindness", comes from the same root as, "kindred", and implies affection for those
who are our own flesh and blood.
Paul reminds us that kindness is a mark of Christian love; love acts kindly.
Kindness is also God's attitude toward us.
In spite of our unloveliness, He keeps on being kind.

We must show kindness, even with those with whom we have differences.
We must keep four words ready to use in our relationship with Jesus Christ
as well as with others: "I'm sorry; I'm wrong."

The world says, "Win through intimidation, take care of yourself, first,"
but the Bible reminds us that "Love suffereth long and is kind." (1 Corinthians 13: 4)
God's love is kind, even when misunderstood.
Love knows how to take heartaches victoriously.
The Greek verb translated, "is kind," implies active service.
In ourselves, we are often hasty, hotheaded, and unkind.

God's love is kind -- not unkind.
God's love actively seeks to show kindness.

A pastor said, "Some years ago, I was misunderstood and criticized by people
from whom I had expected support.
I desperately wanted to retaliate, or at least argue for my side of the conflict.
With bulldog determination, I clinched my fist, bit my lip, and managed to keep
my mouth closed. But I was not kind."

A large part of being kind is being patiently willing to put up with abuse that comes our way.
Usually, such patience is needed most just when it is exhausted.
Our tolerance wears thin, and our spirit of kindness dissipates.

Vance Havner once said, "A bulldog can beat a skunk any day,
but it just isn't worth it."

We must take our grievances to the Lord, instead of taking them out on others.
Paul said in Romans 12: 19: "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord."

The kind of love described in 1 Corinthians 13 goes beyond our understanding,
yet this is the kind of love God wants to communicate to others through us.
This kind of love is consistent in the face of neglect, ignorance, lack of appreciation,
and even, undeserved violence.

When Stephen, one of the early church deacons, was being stoned to death, he prayed,
"Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." (Acts 7: 60)
This kind of love is possible only through Jesus Christ.
He gives us the capacity to love, and we must pray that we will love like Jesus.

Someone has written these words, which could be taken as a description
of Christian kindness:
"Able to suffer without complaining;
To be misunderstood without explaining.

Able to give without receiving;
To be ignored without grieving;

Able to ask without commanding;
To love despite misunderstanding;

Able to turn to the Lord for guarding;
Able to wait for His own rewarding."

A love that suffers long and is kind is beyond our natural ability.
It is only as we experience God's love flowing through us that we can demonstrate
that kind of love.

How much long-suffering and kindness do we have for others?
How willing are we to put another person's desires above our own?
Are we willing to go an extra mile, and to turn the other cheek?
Are we willing to go out of our way to be cooperative and to give love
through acts of kindness?

Love is not envious.
"Love envieth not." (1 Corinthians 13: 4)
A Latin proverb says, "Envy is the enemy of honor."
Someone has defined envy as the sorrow of fools.
Solomon described envy as "the rottenness of the bones." (Proverbs 14:30)
William Shakespeare spoke of envy as "the green sickness."

Envy, in contrast to love, destroys relationships.
Paul states that Christian love is never envious of anyone or anything.
It is not possessive.

Envy and jealousy are deadly in anyone's life.
Cain's envy led him to murder his brother. (Genesis 4)
Envy caused Joseph's brothers to sell him into slavery.
They were resentful because he was the favorite son of Jacob. (Genesis 37)

The elder brother in the story of the prodigal son was envious when he heard
the rejoicing over his wayward brother.
The Bible says, "He was angry, and would not go in." (Luke 15:28)
Both brothers missed the father's love.
The younger because he had been rebellious, and the elder because he was envious.

Envy is resentment of the good fortunes of others.
Envy says, "If I can not eat, then I want everyone else to starve."
Envy is hatred.
Envy cripples us, and prevents us from living victoriously.

Almost every one of us has been envious at one time or another.
If allowed to grow, envy is a disease that disturbs the mind and causes physical illness.
Envy works against love continually.

James 3: 14-16: "But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not,
and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above,
but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work."
James is telling us that envy is a characteristic of earthly wisdom that results in confusion,
disorder, and all kinds of evil.

The terrible results of envy were displayed in King Saul, who envied David so intensely
that he lost control of himself and tried to kill David. (1 Samuel 18)
But love rejoices when others excel.

Love is not proud.
"Love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up." (1 Corinthians 13: 4)

Falling in love is exciting.
Most of us know that strong sweep of emotion which causes us to forget ourselves
and to promise our beloved anything.
We meet someone who helps us get over our self-centeredness.
We stop being concerned about ourselves and we start thinking only of our loved one.

Without expecting it or working toward it, we spontaneously fulfill the law of God
-- at least toward one person -- by loving someone else as much as we do ourselves.
We have no desire or temptation to "puff" ourselves; our only concern
is to build up our sweetheart.
We take pride in his or her company, attention, and abilities.
We are radiant, and every one recognizes love in our behavior.

We discover, however, after a month or a year, that this lofty condition is temporary
or at best, intermittent.
Our old self-centeredness, which we thought we had set aside, reappears,
demanding attention and recognition.
Only as our human love bows before the love of God and allows God into that relationship
can it become dependable and lasting.

Divine love does not seek the applause of the crowd, but places itself below all others.
God keeps His best gifts on the lower shelves.

Humility precedes honor, but "an haughty spirit goes before a fall." (Proverbs 16: 18)
The apostle Paul said: "Knowledge puffeth up, but love edifieth." (1 Corinthians 8: 1)
A "puff "is any sudden, short blast of wind; and it does nobody any good.

The love of Christ is not sudden or brief; it is eternal.
Love edifies -- builds up -- forever.

A missionary was translating the word, "pride", into a native language.
To properly convey the meaning, she wrote, "The ears are far apart."
Pride is simply an inflated head.
The proud have exaggerated ideas of their own importance.
Their primary interests are in themselves.

One of Aesop's fables tells of a fly who sat on the axle of a chariot and exclaimed,
"What a dust do I raise!"

Have you noticed that empty trucks make the most noise.
The world says, "If you've got it, flaunt it.
If you've got it, you know it.
If you've got it, show it."

The Bible says, "Love does not brag."

A. W. Tozer said, "Humility is as scarce as an albino robin."
And believe me, they are scarce!

Pride is one of the Christian's greatest enemies.
It is often at the bottom of our biggest blunders.
A proud and puffed-up spirit shows that a person does not have a healthy self-image.
When we see ourselves as God sees us, we can not help but be humbled.

When a committee from Jerusalem asked John the Baptist if he was the Messiah.
He answered simply, "I am not."

"Then, who are you?" They asked.

John said: "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness." (John 1: 19-23)
John plainly told them that he was not the way, but that he was just the messenger
to show the way.
John was so filled with love for Jesus that self-conscious pride was impossible.
John said: "He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3: 30)

Love is not bigheaded; it is bighearted.
Divine love allows us to see ourselves as we really are in the sight of God,
and to reach out humbly to others.

Sermon by Dr. Harold L. White