The Love of God

“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.” –  I Corinthians 13:4-8

The word “charity” is another word for “love”. This chapter in 1 Corinthians refers to a godly love – the kind of love that we should all have for one another. The word of this in the Greek is “agape” love. This is the type of love we should aspire for in our lives. Now, I thought this chapter was all about how I should love other people, but it is much more than that.

1 Corinthians 13 is a chapter that actually describes God and His love, which is “agape” love.  Let’s take a few minutes and see what God’s Word tells us about His .love for us

1. “Charity suffereth long.”
   1. Remember that charity means….? Yes, that is right. Charity means “love”. “Suffereth long” refers to having patience. It means putting up with something for a long time.
   2. Our God is patient with us. The Bible tells us that God is not willing that any should perish. That means He waits patiently for us to come to Christ.
      1. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” – 2 Peter 2:

2. “Charity is kind.”
   1. God is kind.
      1. “How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.” – Psalm 36:7
   2. God demonstrates His kindness to His children through His compassion and mercy on a daily basis. He withholds punishment choosing to teach and guide us through His Word instead of pouring out His wrath upon us.

3. “Charity envieth not.”
   1. God is not jealous when it comes to what we have in this life. it is not that God is jealous or envious because someone has something He wants or needs.
   2. The only thing that God is jealous of is our worship of false gods. He wants us to ONLY worship Him because He is the ONLY true God.
      1. “For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:” – Exodus 34:14

4. “Charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.”
   1. My God is not proud or boastful.
      1. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” – Philippians 2:5-8
   2. Of anyone that ever lived, Jesus is the only one who has the right to be “puffed up” because He is God, but He isn’t. He was a humble servant to His Father God, obeying everything God wanted of Him including going to the cross.

5. “Charity doth not behave itself unseemly.”
   1. My God does not act unrighteously.
      1. “For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.” – Psalm 11:7
   2. Everything God does is right. When things happen in our lives that we think is unfair on God’s part, we just remember that He never does anything that is not for our best…never!

6. “Charity seeketh not her own.”
   1. God does not seek self-gratification.
      1. “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” – 2 Corinthians 2:8-9
   2. The word “GRACE” explains it for us… God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. He died that we might have life. His act unselfish love bought our freedom from sin.

7. “Charity is not easily provoked.”
   1. My God is not easily angered
      1. “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.” – Psalm 103:8
   2. The patience of God is well-documented in Scripture, but we must remember that it doesn’t say God is never provoked. It says that He is not easily But that patience God shows I because of His great love for us.

8. ”Charity thinketh no evil.”
   1. My God does not think evil
      1. “For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.” – Psalm 5:4
   2. God is love according to I John 4:16, and this love was manisfested at the cross, where God sacrificed His own Son to save us from our sins.

9. “Charity rejoiceth not in iniquity.”
   1. My God does not rejoice in sin
      1. “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” – Isaiah 59:2
   2. God hates sin… it was sin that separated Him from His beloved Son for the first time in all eternity when Jesus took our sins upon His body on the cross… yet God forgives our sins when we confess to Him and seek His forgiveness.

• “Charity rejoiceth in the truth.”
  1. God’s Word is truth.
     1. “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” – John 17:17
  2. God also gave us His Spirit to guide us into all truth. Jesus Himself stated that He alone was the way, the truth and the life. God’s love rejoices in the truth of His Word.

11. “Charity beareth all things.”
    1. My God bears all things.
       1. “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” – 1 Peter 2:24
    2. Jesus bore the humiliation, rejection, and betrayal for us. He had the power to destroy all those who hated Him, but He reached out in love to save them all.

12. “Charity believeth all things.”
    1. God believes in the redemption of His children.
       1. “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.” – 1 John 4:14
    2. John 3:16 reminds us of the love of God and His belief that we are worthy of salvation.

13. “Charity hopeth all things.”
    1. God love provides us with hope for eternal life.
       1. “For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth.” – Psalm 71:5
    2. Because of His love, we have the hope of Jesus’ return and eternity in heaven with God.

14. “Charity endureth all things.”
    1. God’s love endures forever
       1. “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” – Jeremiah 31:3
    2. God’s love compelled Him to provide a way for us to have access to His love.
       1. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8

15. “Charity never faileth.”
    1. God never fails – He will never remove His love from us!
       1. “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:38-39

The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star, and reaches to the lowest hell.
The wand’ring child is reconciled by God’s beloved Son.
The aching soul again made whole, and priceless pardon won.

O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure— the saints’ and angels’ song.

(from “The Love of God” by Frederick Lehman)

John 3:16 “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.”

**********

February is the month of love. When you think about those you love, remember the One who loves you with an everlasting love!