FOCUS TEXT: 1 Corinthians 13

Sunday, as a part of our “We Are Family” series we discovered that the powerful work of the Holy Spirit is undermined when the Church family is not striving to love one another. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 says:  “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

From this we learn that a Church can be very busy in the work of God’s kingdom but be totally ineffective because they’ve overlooked the importance of loving one another. A Church that is not striving to love is a Church that is not giving room for the Holy Spirit to empower and lead. There is something about receiving God’s love, being changed by His love, and choosing to give God’s love that opens a person’s heart to be led and empowered by the Holy Spirit in the work of the kingdom. So how is God’s love cultivated in a believer’s heart and actions? And what does it look like to give God’s love?

Verses 4-6 reveal how God’s love is shaped in followers of Jesus. Verse 4 says that “love is patient and kind,” meaning that it reflects the perfect patience and kindness that God has poured out on us. I don't know about you, but I really struggle to be patient and kind all the time to everyone. Striving to be patient and kind requires the powerful work of the Holy Spirit in me. But even with His help, striving to give this sort of love exposes my sinful heart! That’s why the text goes on to list what love doesn’t do… It “does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices in truth”. Evidently, exercising God’s love requires I keep a short account of my sin before the Lord—that I examine my heart in light of God’s truth, confess my sins, and repent daily!

Once I’m submitted to God’s sanctifying work, what shape will God’s love expressed through my life take? The text tells us that we will (1) bear one another’s burdens, (2) give each other the benefit of the doubt, (3) possess high hopes for one another, (4) struggle together, and (5) remain steadfast in our love for one another. In verse 11 the Apostle Paul confesses: “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.” Paul is testifying and calling us to keep striving to love others, to keep submitting to God’s discipline, and grow to love like Jesus! In this life, as we strive to love one another, we’ll experience some of God’s love from His family. But one day we’ll come face-to-face with our Heavenly Father and experience His perfect and eternal love (vs. 12).

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

• What are some ways you struggle to exercise a patient and kind love for others?

• From the of list sins in verses 4-6, which pop up most frequently in your relationship with others?

• How has the Lord shaped your heart and life in your striving to love others more like Jesus?

PRAYER RESPONSE

Commit to pursue a patient and kind love for others. Ask the Lord to shape your heart and life along the way. Commit to embrace even the difficult relationships for their good and yours.

MEMORY VERSE: 1 Corinthians 13:13