Love beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 1 Corinthians 13:7 KJV
The Context and Charge:
Paul writes to the church in Corinth about a more excellent way. He had just written to them about the value and impact of the gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to the church and how these gifts help the church become what God intends. But Paul had to make it clear that all gifts require the right context, platform and target for them to have the right impact as defined by the One who gave them. As long as I am not the owner of the gift, I do not get to choose how and when the gift is used. If the owner lays out the right way, I will only survive if I go that right way.
That more excellent way is the way of love. Just as Paul made it clear in this letter, I can have the most precious and visible gifts, but they profit me nothing if I do not exercise them in love. If I speak expressly in tongues, yet I am quick to envy or keep malice with someone else, what is the value of the gift? Would I crave after the gifts of the Holy Spirit and then refuse the fruit of the Spirit? That would be a grave mistake. The fruit is the visible expression of the invisible gift. The man who truly loves can never be hidden.
The Contention and Conclusion:
Love is part of the fruit of the Spirit. Today's extract lays out part of its contents and manifestations. It proceeds from the place of absolute trust, not initial suspicions. It gives the benefit of the doubt; hopes that there is plain and honest dealing all around. It endures whatever comes, as it knows that there is profit at the end of the pressure. It can bear the pressure, because it knows it is just for a season. And this is not just about the things that are convenient; but ALL things, without exception. This is the true value of love: no discrimination or partiality.
I then have a review and an assignment: do I have the kind of love described here? Is my heart large enough to accommodate even those the world finds difficult to love? Can I say, without any fear of contradiction, that what I have is the definition of love from God's perspective? This is not the time for false narratives or deceptive confidence; the source of both the gift and the fruit is the One who can help me see myself the right way. When he shows me who I am, then I must act. Love must align with the demands of the source, not the reaction of the target. I surrender my heart today to the One who can birth and sustain that which is true and eternal: love from God's perspective. God's time of favour is here.
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