Love is ( 1 Corinthians 13 v 5)5

 Love does not dishonour others v 5. We dishonour others when we speak wrongfully of them,it is often the case that we pass are bad opinion of someone to others. We have been hurt by a certain person so in order to hurt  that person we spread rumours,we are not  to speak ill of no man. Vindictiveness should have no place in the child of God's heart, it is very easy to ruin someone by what  what we say,We may try to justify our attitude , but it will not wash, the God of love says it is wrong. Next we consider, 'Love is not self seeking',someone said,'Love is the very antithesis of self seeking',it does not push itself to the front of the queue,it is not ,'me first'. Thats self seeking,and someone has added,'I've  been there'.

                                                                     A prayer.

                                        'Dear lord help me to watch how I speak about other's.

                                        and help me to put You first,others second ,and myself

                                         last ,Amen.

                                         

                                                           

Love is ( 1 Corinthians 13 v4 ) 4

'Love is not proud' v 4,one translation reads,'Love is not inflated with its own importance', Winston Churchill said of a politician who had inflated  an opinion of himself,'There but by the grace of God goes God',Napoleon said of himself,''I am not a man like other men,the laws of morality do not apply to me''. So we could go on giving examples,we all at time let pride creep in one way or the other,our Saviour taught us many things,that when we pray,and give we should do it anonymously ( Matthew 6 v 1-6).It is nice to receive a compliment,but we need to be careful that it does not cause pride to rise in our heart,give us a big head. Our dear Saviour more than any one else personified humility,oh that we were more like him. One of the greatest examples of pride was King Nebuchadnezzar, who boasted of all the great things he had done,and God dealt with him .( Daniel 6 v 28 ff) Just before our Lord was betrayed the disciples were arguing  with each other as to which one of them would be considered the greatest,and Jesus replied that the one who served will be considered the greatest.Dear John Bunyan wrote a poem here is a verse from it'

                                                   'He that is down needs fear no fall,

                                                    He that is low no pride;

                                                    He that is humble ever shall

                                                     Have God to be his guide.'

Love is (1 Corinthians 13 v 4 (3)

We have considered that love is kind , now the writer goes on to highlight seven things that are contrary to love,the first one ,'It does not envy', (v4)  the 10th commandment tells we are not to covet (Exodus 20 v17) envy is similar but it has a malignant aspect to it,it can be spiteful, hostile,malicious,evil intentioned,full of hate,vicious,cruel. We read in Matthew 27 v18,that Pilate knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy. This blinded them and filled them with hatred,that bordered on madness and manifested itself in outragious wickedness towards our blessed Saviour,it is far from love.Next we consider, 'that love does not boast', it does not brag,it does it to be heard,it does it to humiliate people.a person I know personally boasted how he prayed and studied the Bible in order to humiliate someone.Jesus told about two men who went up to the temple to pray,one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.The Pharisee stood away from the tax collector,and he prayed,''God, I thank you that I am not like other people,robbers,evildoers,adulterers,or even this tax collector.I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get',(Luke 18 v9ff) Now that's a boaster, one filled with pride,one who despised others.I read recently about a remark made about a certain politician,that she looked down on people.

                                                'Naught have I gotten ,but what I received,

                                                 Grace hath bestowed it since I have believed,

                                                 Boasting excluded pride I abase,

                                                 I'm only a sinner saved by grace'

                                                      'Words James Martin Gray'

                                     

9

Love is ( 1 Corinthians 13 v 4) 2

Love is kind v 4 ,the world needs a lot of things,it diffently needs more kindness,Max Hastings book  on the second world war,tells us of the awful things that took place,the unrestrained brutality by conquering armies,but it also tells us of the handships soldiers had to cope with,which Hollywood leaves out. We know it involved  defeating an enemy,but it cost.Many soldiers were scared stiff,and it manifested itself in different ways,some had breakdowns,as the allies pushed towards Germany as the winter set in, so it was tough going.Max tells about one soldier who was struggling in the wet and the cold,and a little French girl came out and handed him two pillows. I'm sure that soldier would never forget that simple act of kindness by that child.I look back on my life especially when I was at Bible college and had no money,and I received many kindnesses from people.I hightlight one man who every Sunday gave me two pounds, they called him Jackie,and I will be always grateful for what he did. Glen Camlbell wrote a song called,'Show a little kindness',here are some of the words from it.

                                                'If you see your brother  standing by the road  

                                                With a heavy load from the seed he has sown.

                                                 And if you see your sister fallen by the way,

                                                 Just stop and say,''Your going the wrong way''

                                                 Don't walk around the down and out

                                                 Lend a helping hand instead of doubt,

                                                 And the kindness you have shown everyday,

                                                 Will help someone along the way'

                                                

                                                   

Love is. ( 1 Corinthians 13v 4) 1

 We can read 1 Corinthians 13 many times as regards  the qualities of love,and fail to live them out in our lives, the first quality mentioned is ,'Patience' it is William Barclay who writes,'this word always describes patience with people and not patience with circumstances'.If one is married ,and have children you will I guarantee ,have to exercise patience.why? because you love the one you married,and the children you have.Christ exercised this loving quality with his disciples,espcially with Peter the betrayer.I often think how patient God is with me, I'm sure we would all testify to that,but are we willing to be like Him with those who are unkind and hurt us,those who get on our nerves?. William Barclay tells the story of Abraham Lincoln who  had to endure insults from a fellow politician called  Stanton, he called him a low cunning clown,the ''original gorilla''. Yet when war came he made him his war minister, because he was the best man for the job.Abe always treated him with courtesy, and when the president was assassinated, Stanton wept,and said''There lies the greatest ruler  of men the world has ever known''.W B comments 'The patience of love had conquered'.

Invite Him in. ( Luke 18 v 35- 43)

One of my sons told me of a married couple who recently came to Lord,and  that the lady had died suuddenly from an brain aneurysm,she was in her fifties. It is sad and one feels for the love ones, but mingled with the sorrow there is the joy of knowing that the lady is in heaven not in hell.So many people are so careless as regards to their eternal destiny,that lady by the grace of God is now safely in heaven rejoicing in the presence of  Christ her Saviour. What a comfort that is to her husband and family,and it appears that it has been a wake up call to her daughter who wants to become a Christian. The word of God tells us to seek the Lord while he may be found to call on Him while He is near (Isaiah 55 v6) The living translation puts it like this,'Seek the Lord while you can find Him'.In the Song of Solomon in chapter 5 we have the groom coming to go into his bride,the bride is in her bed and she hears him coming, and calling to be let in,but she replies, how she had taken of her robe and was in bed,did he expect her to get dressed again and washed again,Her lover kept on knocking and asking to get in.His knocking created in her a desire to have  him ,so she rose to let him in,but he had got tired of waiting and left. In Luke 24 v 13ff we read of how our Lord met up with two people, walking home, He ministered to them,and it really touched their hearts, and when they came to where they lived , He acted as if He was going further,but they urged Him strongly,saying,'stay with us'. Someone has said that He did not force Himself on them,He waited tell they invited Him to stay.

                                                    ' Pass me not,O gracious Saviour,

                                                      Hear my humble cry;

                                                      While on others Thou art calling,

                                                       Do not pass me by'

                                                             Fanny J.Crosby

Our loving heavenly Father.( John 1 v 12 )

 The Lord's Prayer '.( Matthew 6 v 9-13 )When our young Pastor came,he had us praying the Lord's prayer in an up to date translation,nothing wrong with that,but most of us love the AV version,so  he now leads us in  praying  from the AV ,a wise decision. Some see it as the disciples prayer ,one writer says Luke's version was written to Gentiles who needed to know how to pray, (Luke 11 v1) were as Matthews version was directed toward Jewish people who needed to know how to pray correctly.  It starts ,'Our Father which art in heaven',the word Father has an intimacy about it,for its translated from the  word,'Abba',Jesus often used that word ,it was the word a child would use of their daddy ,my sons usually call me dad.Winston Churchill loved  his father,but he was a very distant father,hardly ever spoke to him,very rarely saw him,and was very critical of him,no affection was shown to him.Humam fathers can often be a pure reflection of what a father should be. Not so our Father in heaven ,He is the perfect Father,who loves us so very much, though He is a heavenly Father He is not distant, we can reach Him instantly in our prayers,He is all a Father should be,and more,yes He will chastise us,rebuke us,but He will also care for us and stick up for us.We must never be familar with Him, friendly but never familar ,we must regard Him as holy and sacred.

                                                       'Great God! and wilt Thou condescend

                                                       To be my Father and my friend?

                                                        I, a poor child,and Thou so high,

                                                        The Lord of earth and air and sky.'

                                                                    'The answer is yes

                                                                     when we trust Jesus

                                                                      as our Saviour'