Here is another excerpt from the book “The Compassionate Shepherd.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth:…”
This passage is normally preached or taught as “Love in Action” in human relationships. But, ought not our love for the Lord follow the same pattern?
Does the love we have for Christ match up with the definition in I Corinthians 13?
• Are we willing to suffer long because we love the Lord?
Are we willing to suffer for a season, if that is what is required, or do we have a time limit on our pain?
• Are we kind to the Lord?
We tend to treat those we are closest to with less kindness than those we are much less familiar with. When we feel the Lord isn’t treating us right, how do we react?
• Are we jealous of The Lord?
Are we willing to let Him have the glory instead of us? Do we lift ourselves higher than we do the Lord? Do we desire the preeminence?
• Do we have a sense of pride in what the Lord has done?
He does the work and we take the credit. PRIDE
• As ambassadors for Christ, do we behave in such a way that is unseemly?
Do we behave in ways that could be deemed inappropriate?
• Do we willingly defer to the will of God, or do we insist on having things our own way?
• Do we have a short fuse?
When the Lord allows situations and people into our lives that go against our plans, do we get upset with Him?
• Do we allow evil thoughts to linger in our minds?
“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” We love the Lord, but our mind is on sinful things
• Do we allow ourselves to enjoy the “Off color” humor of the world?
Turn a blind eye to the sinfulness of the world?
• If we truly Love the Lord, the truth should be a joy to us.
The Christian should be the most honest person we know. We should be the most honest people someone knows
• Are we willing to bear reproach for the one we love?
Do we possess the boldness to speak up for our Lord? Are we willing to be made fun of for our love for the Lord?
• Believe the entirety of Scripture.
Are we truly Bible believers? Every Word of God?
• Do we possess a deep seeded trust in the Lord we love?
Hope is confidence, expectation. If we believe the Word, then we should live in light of it’s promises.
• Do we endure all things for Christ?
Good times and hard times?
• Do we possess a love that will last forever?
Is our love for Christ conditional? God has proven His eternal love for us. We understand that our love for Christ will never be perfect this side of heaven. But, it is being perfected in us as we deal with our trials and heartache in his strength and power, which will lead us to a closeness with God IN SPITE OF the pain.