Daily Devotions and Bible Readings
Demonstrate Love’s Qualities
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Memory Verse: But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13
Love is difficult to define. The same English word has been used to describe about the American love affair with French Fries, the way we feel about another person, and the way we feel about the Lord. The Greek language uses multiple words for this one English word. One such word is phileo which is brotherly love. Another is eros which is sensual feelings. A third is agape love which was used to describe the love of Christ demonstrated through His sacrificial life.
Sometimes ideas are best described by saying what they are not. For instance, in our Scripture passage for today’s reading, the Bible explains love with seven positive characteristics and eight negative characteristics. The positive consist of patience, kindness, rejoicing in truth, bearing all things, believing all things, hopes all things, and enduring of all things. The negative include absence of envy, lack of boasting, no conceit, no improper actions, not selfish, no record of wrongs, and no joy in unrighteousness.
The King James translation highlights the selflessness in love by translating the Greek word used in this text as charity. In our day charity may relate more to a deduction on our income tax than strong feelings and actions of commitment to serve one another. Again the Bible teaches its second most primary theme, love for others. Thankfully, God gives us a description of what He means by the word love. God’s thoughts in this passage are not about sensuality but about self-giving love. Sensuality is about fleshly pleasure. Love, as we are commanded to demonstrate to one another, is all about being considerate and benevolent to others. May God teach us daily how to love one another. Our world would be different if we could practice and teach this concept to all mankind.
Please remember our teenagers at church camp in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Pray for Brother Gary as he teaches the Bible Study for them this morning. Please also pray for the sponsors to be sensitive to the hearts of the students, for LUMINATE, the worship band, and for Chase Bowers, the camp preacher for the week.
Reflection
What did God say to me from this Scripture reading, devotional, and or prayer time?
What did I say to God?
