Love in a Loveless World
We live in a messed up world. Ceaseless wars rage because nations cannot get along. Too many innocent people are affected by senseless crime. Scientists argue about how the earth is or is not impacted our industrialized lifestyle and what should be done about it.
Most pursue those things that are best for “me” while giving little to no thought of how to help others. Indeed, we live in a messed up world.
One area of life that the world just cannot understand is the area of love. Most will assume that means the romantic kind of dating love. But, true love goes much, much deeper than that. True love is that which is experienced in families between parents and children, brothers and sisters. True love is lived out between lifelong friends who have walked through the fires together. True love is the husband sitting by the bedside of his wife of 50 plus years while she labors to breathe because of cancer.
True love is the co-workers who stay late to help out the new employee get the project done. True love looks out for others and is willing to give of ourselves. The world has great difficulty in understanding and living that kind of love.
In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul gives a beautiful explanation of what true love looks like. He begins by stating: “Love is patient.” Love hangs in there even when the other person doesn’t deserve to be loved. Love gives room for grace. Love doesn’t expect perfection and doesn’t give up when perfection is not achieved. Love is patient.
Paul also says that “love is kind.” Love shows compassion. Love seeks to bless and encourage rather than point out every shortcoming in others. Love seeks for the best for others. Love is kind.
Then, Paul transitions from the outward display of patience and kindness to the inward reality that love “does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.” Envy says, “I deserve this rather than you.” Love says, “Let me celebrate the way God has blessed you.” Boasting and pride point out how awesome I am. Love pursues the enrichment of others, even if no one notices me at all. True love thinks about others.
Through the rest of 1 Corinthians 13, Paul lists several characteristics of what true love looks like and how it is lived out. This love is a selfless, sacrificial, God-like kind of love. The best example of that love is the love that God showed for us by sending His One and Only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins. That is the epitome of a selfless, sacrificial, God-like love. And that is the way God has called us to love each other.
The world does not love like that. But God does. And we should too. Let’s learn how to love from our heavenly Father, not from the world around us. True love is loving like God loves.