Happy and very blessed Valentine's Day! I hope that you are all remembering your FIRST LOVE today! Today I want to share from Rick Renner's "Sparkling Gems of the Greek"! it's ALL about the LOVE! GOD's LOVE !
Love Never Fails!
Charity [agape love]
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…. — 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
In today’s Sparkling Gem, we
come to the end of our study of First Corinthians 13:4-8, where Paul describes
the behavior of the love of God. As Paul comes to the conclusion of his
fabulous text about the agape love of God, he concludes powerfully in
verse 8 by affirming that love “…never faileth….”
The word “faileth” is the Greek
word pipto, a word that dates back to classical Greece and generally
means to fall from a high position. It was also used on rare occasions to
depict a warrior who fell in battle. In many places the word pipto is
used to depict falling into ruin, into destruction, into some kind of
misfortune, or into disappointment. In First Corinthians 13:8, Paul uses this
word to affirm the eternal truth that love never disappoints or fails.
It is simply the truth that human
beings often fail each other. I’m sure you have felt let down by someone else
at some point along the way. And if you’re honest about your own dealings with
others, you’ll have to admit that you have been guilty of letting others down
as well. But agape love — God’s love — never disappoints, never
fails, and never lets anyone down. It is a love that can always be depended on
and is always reliable.
People you know and respect may
occasionally fall from the high position they hold in life — and that can be an
emotionally difficult experience for you when you see it happen. Other times,
fellow warriors may fall in battle or stumble into some kind of misfortune that
disappoints you, and that is painful as well.
But you can be sure that
the agape love of God will never fail you or let you down. This love
is constant, unchanging, and unbendable. It is a love you will always find to
be reliable and true — a love on which you can depend.
God wants you to learn to
function in His high-level agape love, which is why the Holy Spirit
so carefully inspired the apostle Paul to write these famous words in First
Corinthians 13:4-8. This passage of Scripture is God’s mirror, designed for us
to look into so we can see how well we fare at walking in the agape love
of God.
I have compiled all the words,
phrases, and translations we have been studying and placed them here as one
complete text for you to read. Take a few minutes to read this text slowly;
then ask yourself, Do I pass the love test? Or does this reveal
that I need to mature more in this part of my life?
The following is an expanded
interpretive translation of First Corinthians 13:4-8:
“Love patiently and passionately
bears with others for as long as patience is needed; Love doesn’t demand
others to be like itself; rather, it is so focused on the needs of others that
it bends over backwards to become what others need it to be; Love is not
ambitious, self-centered, or so consumed with itself that it never thinks of
the needs or desires that others possess; Love doesn’t go around talking
about itself all the time, constantly exaggerating and embellishing the facts
to make it look more important in the sight of others; Love does not
behave in a prideful, arrogant, haughty, superior, snooty, snobbish, or
clannish manner; Love is not rude and discourteous — it is not careless or
thoughtless, nor does it carry on in a fashion that would be considered
insensitive to others; Love does not manipulate situations or scheme and
devise methods that will twist situations to its own advantage; Love does
not deliberately engage in actions or speak words that are so sharp, they cause
an ugly or violent response; Love does not deliberately keep records of
wrongs or past mistakes; Love does not feel overjoyed when it sees an
injustice done to someone else but is elated, thrilled, ecstatic, and overjoyed
with the truth; Love protects, shields, guards, covers, conceals, and
safeguards people from exposure; Love strains forward with all its might
to believe the very best in every situation; Love always expects and
anticipates the best in others and the best for others; Love never quits,
never surrenders, and never gives up; Love never disappoints, never fails,
and never lets anyone down.”
So after pondering these verses,
what is your answer? Are you walking in this kind of love? Have you achieved
the level of love that God wants you to have in your life? Do you manifest this
type of love to others who are around you? Or do you now see that you still
have areas in your life where you need to grow, develop, and change in regard
to walking in love?
I plead with you to spend time in
prayer about this issue of God’s love in your life. How you relate to others,
love others, and impact others is the most important question in your life.
Since this is such a vital issue, don’t you think it’s worth your time to get
into the Presence of the Lord and ask Him to reveal those areas in your love
walk that need to be improved?
My Prayer for Today
Lord, I want to be the embodiment
of Your love. I know that I fall very short of the agape love that You desire
to see operating in my life. Therefore, I am asking You to help me move upward
to the highest level of love so I can be a channel through which this love can
be poured out to others whom I know and meet. Just as You have loved me, help
me become a life-changing source of divine love to other people.
I pray this in Jesus’ name!
My Confession for Today
I confess that God’s love dwells
in me. It flows from my heart to all those around me. People who are close to
me are changed and transformed by this love that operates so mightily in me.
When others see me, they think of the love of God, for it is demonstrated
continually in my life.
I declare this by faith in Jesus’
name!
AMEN! Now spend some time every day meditating on these beautiful, wonderful and powerful WORDS! THIS concept of Love leaves us without excuse for EVER treating ANYONE in a way that is less than love! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Young and Free with "This Is Real Love":
Shalom in Him!
