My wife and I and our son and his girlfriend saw Dionne Warwick in concert recently. She sounded good at age 76. She sang all of her signature songs including “What the world needs now is love sweet love. It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.”
There’s more truth to this than most Christians realize and understand.
All of us know John 3:16, the “love verse”:
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Do you know why God loves a sin-infested, God-rejecting, Satan-governed world that is the complete opposite of everything that He is? It’s because God is only being who He is. He is Love with a capital “L” and we see this in First John chapter four, verses eight and 16.
He – talking about you and me – that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. ... And we have known and believed the love that God hath toward us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
I want you to see something that is very important. Verse 16 says the person who dwells in love. What does it mean to “dwell in love”? The word “dwell” means to abide or stay. Dwelling in love in a decision. That’s what the word “dwelling” communicates.
When you listen to what so many in the body of Christ are saying today, for example, about our president, about individuals who identify as gay, lesbian or transgender – their words tells us that they are not “dwelling in love” because God loves our president and those struggling with homosexuality and identify issues just as much as He does us.
God doesn’t love us more because we are Christians. God is love. Everything God does flows out of who He is. When we understand that everything God does originates from a nature – a life source – of love, we will see, for example, events in the Old Testament differently.
Take for example the scene in the Garden of Eden where God banishes Adam and Eve. He loved them too much to let them stay in the Garden and possibly – well, more than likely – eat of the Tree of Life and live forever in a sinful condition that would guarantee they would never see Heaven and live eternally in the lake of fire. God took away the opportunity for them to eternally destroy themselves – just like any parent who loves their children would.
Because our Father is Love, with a capital “L”, Love always does what is needed in life. God is our Father, therefore we also have the same ability to always do what is needed in life. But we must make that choice. I use the word “needed” deliberately. Often the needful thing is not the popular thing, especially when the bible disagrees with the culture.
Love is not an emotion but a nature from which it freely flows.
Understanding that love flows from who we are is critical to our ability to walk in faith. Galatians chapter five, verse six says that “faith worketh by love.” The word worketh means “to activate or energize.” Love is the power source that brings faith alive! The more we love out of who we have become – sons and daughters of God – the more our faith will access what our Father has promised to us.
Oh, you have a question? Yes, Bro. Barry, I do. How can I know that I am loving like God loves? We’ll see the answer in First Corinthians chapter 13 – the “Love Chapter”.
Love is our Father’s heartbeat and if our hearts are not beating with His heart, we are not serving the kingdom. We are not living like Love’s children. When I substitute the word “Love” for “God” it paints a picture for me of my Father that draws me into His heart.
We’re going to see how First Corinthians 13 describes a love that’s based on a deliberate choice of the one who loves rather than the worthiness of the one who is loved.
Love is the power source for faith. Remember we read this in Galatians chapter five, verse six. First Corinthians 13 is crucial to helping us understand and recognize what love can produce in our lives as we make a deliberate choice to live by it. I have substituted “love” for “charity” in the verses we’re going to read. We’re going to read verses four through seven.
(4) Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.
(5) [Love] Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
(6) [Love] Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth.
(7) [Love] Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
In these four verses, which we will examine in some detail, we see our Father’s heart. Folks, we should see our hearts too. I encourage you to go home and listen to this message again and don’t rush through these four verses. Each impacts our ability to walk by faith. Ponder them. Examine yourself. Then do what’s needed to align the way you live with the way these verses say we are to live. Let’s look at these verses individually.
What we are going to see in these verses is how we are to imitate our Heavenly Father. Ephesians chapter five, verse one says “Be ye, therefore, followers (imitators) of God, as dear children.”
? Love “suffereth long” – We need to understand this in the sense of containing and controlling anger.
Turn to Second Peter chapter three. We’re going to read verse nine. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
And in Ephesians chapter four, verse two we read “With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love.”
A person walking in love does not allow his emotions to determine how he responds when mistreated. For many of us, our emotions work against us when it comes to the things of God. For example, the bible says we are to forgive. It doesn’t say the person has to ask for forgiveness. But we struggle to forgive because we want the person to acknowledge that she has done something wrong to us.
? Love “is kind” – The word “kind” means willing to help or assist.
We’re still in Ephesians chapter four. Look at verse 32. “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”
A person walking in love will help the one who wronged her even though, according to the world’s standards, the person seems to deserve anger. Again, do you see how we are to forgive? Why? We forgive because God, through the death and resurrection of Jesus, has forgiven us.
? Love “envieth not” – When we are loving people the way God loves them, we will not profess affection for the purpose of manipulating another’s affection; to be jealous for a thing or person.
Turn to Galatians chapter five. We’re going to read verse 26. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
A person walking in love will not tell another person what he wants to hear but what he needs to hear. There is too much of this taking place in the body of Christ already. Those of us in the pulpit – we will be held accountable for not bringing people to “decision points” – places where they have to choose their way of living or God’s way of living. Today, ladies and gentlemen, I am giving you God’s way. But the choice is still yours.
? Love “vaunteth not itself” – Love refuses to brag, boast, and exalt self, especially at the expense of another. As a child do you remember singing, “Anything you can do, I can do better, I can do anything better than you”?
In Proverbs 13 – let’s turn there – and in verse 10 we read “Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.”
? Love is not “puffed up” – A person walking in love will not inflate or blow up himself; he will not be a self-promoter to draw attention to himself at the expense of someone else.
Philippians chapter two and verse three says “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.”
When you are walking in love, you won’t have to always tell people who you are. You will live who you are in front of them. The bible says we will be known by the fruit we produce in our walk with Jesus.
? Love does not behave itself” – Love does not behave in an ugly and unbecoming manner; indicates behavior that has little regard or respect for others.
We are still in Philippians chapter two. Look at verse four. “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.”
Christians who are mean, critical, or cruel are not walking in the love of God. And quite honestly, I’d have to question if the person who lives this way is truly born again.
? Love “seeketh not her own” – This phrase refers to a person who does not always demand his rights. In other words, for the sake of demonstrating Christ, he is willing to forego what others might believe he deserves.
Let’s look at First Corinthians chapter six, verse seven. Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? Why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?
There are precious few in the body of Christ today who are willing to turn the other cheek. That is what this verse is describing. We are too willing to respond to things in life the same way the world responses to them. We are too willing to take people to court to right what we believe is a wrong “that must be righted.” Paul tells us in this verse to “let it go” – forgive the person.
? Love is not “easily provoked” – This means that a person walking in love is not quickly moved to outbursts of anger or indignation. The person does not have a short temper.
Turn to Proverbs 16 and look at verse 32. He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.
Now turn to James chapter one. We’re going to read verses 19 and 20. Wherefore my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
? Love “thinketh no evil” – This is describing a person who keeps a mental ledger of the wrongs done to him and is living in unforgiveness.
Psalms 103 verse 12 says this about our Heavenly Father: “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”
Isaiah chapter 43 verse 25 reaffirms how our Heavenly Father views our transgressions. I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
Folks, listen to me, this is the #1 reason why Christians divorce. We have couples who can’t get past something that was said or done years to them earlier in their marriage. And every so often the spouse will do something that angers them and all of these bad things the person did come flooding back because the unforgiving spouse refuses to lay them at the altar. Our Father does not have mental ledgers. And we need to be so thankful that He doesn’t.
So if you are holding a mental ledger against your spouse, or against anyone in your life, you need to repent before God and lay it at the altar. If you don’t find a way to do that, you could be placing your eternal destination in question.
? Love “rejoiceth not in iniquity” – This is not so much a person who enjoys sin, but who takes pleasure in the shortcomings of others, feeling a type of vindication.
I want you to see how the Apostle Paul responds to those who are working against the things of Jesus. We see this in Philippians chapter three, verse 18: “(For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ...)”
A person walking in love will not say “What goes around, comes around.”
? Love “rejoiceth in the truth” – This is talking about not only the person who takes pleasure in that which is true, but who also rejoices in a good report about those who have wronged him.
Psalm chapter 85, verse 10 tells us that “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.”
? Love “beareth all things” – The image this communicates is that every time a wrong is done, the victim responds by draping a blanket of love over the wrong so that it cannot be seen. It’s not that we are covering up sin but we are refusing to acknowledge a wrong and are instead extending love.
And this is exactly what First Peter chapter four, verse eight says. And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
? Love “believeth all things” – It means “to have faith.” Love believes the best about a person, even when the person is at his worst.
? Love “hopeth all things” – This is the attitude of hope that the one who has done wrong will get his life back on the right path, as opposed to thinking “he deserves what she gets”.
? Love “endureth all things” – When we love, we remain strong in the power of God’s agape to withstand any and every wrong.
Let’s look at James chapter one verse 12. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
When we are walking in love, our emotions will not rise up and cause us to act against the nature of God on the inside of us.
My prayer is that you have been blessed and challenged by this somewhat detailed look at First Corinthians chapter thirteen, verses four through seven and that you see how we manifest or don’t manifest the love that’s living inside of us.
Again, I encourage you spend some time with these verses. Ponder them. Examine yourself. If you identify areas where change is needed, by all means do it with haste! Ladies and gentlemen, your faith depends on your willingness to do whatever you need to do to walk in love.
