Encouragement

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1 Corinthians 13:4-13:13

What do we mean when we say "I love you"? What comes to mind? Under what conditions do those precious words fall from our lips? Do we have a hard time saying them do they come out as smooth as silk?

According to God's Word, "I love you" are words that should be taken with utmost seriousness. So seriously, in fact, that they could mean life or death. What am I saying? They ARE life or death! Yet some of us "love" baseball, soap operas, cars or material objects and/or hobbies. Whatever happened to loving God, our neighbors and ourselves?

You see love makes us vulnerable. It puts our heart of hearts out there in full view of others. Love marks us, doesn't it? It marks us for heart crushing blows. Most of us carry scars across our hearts from past ill-fated encounter with other human beings. So, it's easy to understand how easy it is to love objects rather than people. However, that is not how God wants us to live. He wants us to live out His example of Love, especially the Love shown on the Cross.

Let's review what God's Word, the Bible, says about love. Fair warning. God is very serious about love. Through out the Bible, He states very strongly that we should love one another the same way He loves us:

John 3:16 18 says, "This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him." (The Message)

Luke 23:34 reads, "Jesus prayed, "Father, forgive them; they don't know what they're doing." Jesus said this while He was on the Cross. He prayed for His enemies they very people who savagely beat Him, spit on Him, whipped Him, nailed Him to a cross, cursed Him, mocked Him and even threw dice to divide His clothing in His face. He even promised one of the criminals that were crucified with Him that he would be in paradise with Jesus.

You may say, "Well, I am not Jesus. You don't understand what I've been through." I hear you clearly. Let me introduce you to Hosea, an Old Testament prophet. God spoke to him, instructing him to marry a prostitute. Obeying God, he married Gomer. Can you imagine what that meant for a man of God, especially a prophet? But Hosea obeyed God, despite the social and personal stigmas. Can you imagine having to buy your wife back from her pimp in accordance to God's instruction? Let me point out something blatantly obvious. Hosea was a man. Hosea was not Jesus Christ. Hosea obeyed.

"Love suffers long or puts up with people that it is easy to give up on. Love is kind, mainly, treats well people who have treated us poorly. Love doesn't envy, nor parade itself and is not puffed up it is not self promoting but promotes others. Love does not seek its own a person who loves is willing to set aside his or her own plans or entitlements for another's good. Love is not provoked it means not being irritated or in excess of sensitive to others, easily angered. Love thinks no evil when we love someone we do not immediately assume evil on their part. Love does not rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in the truth; love does not delight in evil in any form, including the fall of a brother or sister. Love bears, believes, hopes and endures all things." **Taken from the NKJV commentary, Parallel Study Bible, page 2823

The Bible also says love covers a multitude of faults. We all make mistakes. We all are in need of mercy and understanding. We all have faults. However, for someone to jump ship because of another's fault is the biggest fault and a crucially dangerous one.

How many faults has God forgiven us? How many consequences have been less severe than we really deserve for sins we've committed? Have we really taken into account what Jesus did for us?

What exactly will we tell Jesus when He asks us why didn't we forgive so and so? What excuse will suffice, especially when we consider this parable spoken by Jesus in Matthew 25: 31-46:

31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.
32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,
36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?
38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?
39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

Christian, what does God mean to you? Do you love Him? Do we love Him enough to love His people thorough extremely adverse conditions and do what is necessary no matter the circumstances or what people think about you?

What will we choose?

Life or death?

God or the devil?

Yes, my friends, love is that serious.

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