Weekly Devotional 9-12-16 Love That Is Pure
“4Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away”(1st Corinthians 13:4-10).
In these verses the Apostle Paul presents to us a love that is unmatchable by any amount of human emotion or affection. It is a love that is void of self-interest and is concerned only with the need of another. In its absolute, it is a love that is unattainable outside of God. It is, in fact, a fruit of God the Holy Spirit. We read from Galatians 5:22-26 NKJV “22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”
Now it is acknowledged that on this side of heaven we will not be able to love with this kind of love because we still possess our old natures; natures that war against our new God-given natures. Peter, for instance, possessor of both natures, in honesty, could not commit himself to loving the “called” of God as he ought. We read from John 21:15-17; “15So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Feed My lambs.’ 16He said to him again a second time, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Tend My sheep.’ 17He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?’ Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’ And he said to Him, ‘Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed My sheep.’”
Even though by this time Peter was indwelt by the Holy Spirit (see John 20:22), He could not love with the love described by Paul in 1st Corinthians 13. It’s not that Peter didn’t love the Lord for if we would continue reading (John 21:18-19), we would find that Peter, in the love he did have for the Lord, would eventually die for Him. Peter was limited in his ability to love the Lord as he ought and if we are honest with ourselves, we will realize that we are also limited. Limited not because God can’t accomplish His love in us, for He is in the process of conforming us into the likeness of His Son, Jesus Christ who is love (Romans 8:28-30). But, until that process is completed in us we are limited because of the hardness of our hearts.
Our prayer for one another, and for ourselves, should be that we would each one live as citizens of heaven and that our focus would be on Jesus’ kingdom and not the things of this earth, or on ourselves. The love of 1st Corinthians 13 is a perfect love. While we will not reach this level of perfection in our present experience, we Christians must surrender ourselves to the Holy Spirit, and He will love with godly love through us.
stevelampman@comcast.net stevelampman.com
Transforming Power; The Work of God on Behalf of Man