Today I’m continuing my series on 1 Corinthians 13, the “love chapter.” Last week’s post, A Look at Charity Pt. 2: Charity’s Motivation, focused on 1 Corinthians 13:2-3. In the next few verses, charity is defined, but notice how it’s through actions.
Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
– 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Charity is defined by what it does and what it doesn’t do. There’s a lot of meat here, so let’s break it down verse by verse. Today I’ll focus on verses 4 and 5.
Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
– 1 Corinthians 13:4
To be longsuffering is to be patient and slow to anger. God Himself is longsuffering toward us (2 Peter 3:9), so why should we be any different? If we are to show the love of Christ, we must do so through our actions. Colossians 3:13 calls for us to forgive one another as Christ has forgiven us. That’s easier said than done, I admit. But I think this also falls into the commandment to “love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matt. 22:39). After all, if you want to be forgiven, shouldn’t you also extend forgiveness? Wouldn’t withholding forgiveness be hypocritical? Jesus spoke about this in Matthew 18:21-35 in His parable of the unforgiving debtor. God has forgiven us for much, so shouldn’t we also forgive others?
Being kind also includes forgiveness. Ephesians 4:32 says, And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. Not only is it the words we speak (Prov. 31:26) but also the things we do (Luke 6:35).
I think being kind also includes being happy for others accomplishments. Envying others doesn’t just hurt ourselves, it hurts others. When we constantly try to one up each other, we don’t show the support the other needs. We then cheapen their accomplishments. Yet, how often do we expect others to applaud our accomplishments?
When we feel we can’t get that encouragement from others, we sometimes try to get that encouragement from ourselves. We boast about our accomplishments, but what does that do but push others away? Our good deeds, our good fortunes, should glorify God, not ourselves. When we have a humble spirit before God, we are humble to others.
Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
-1 Corinthians 13:5
A Christian’s behavior is outlined a lot in scripture. I know plenty of people accuse Christianity of being a set of rules, but we are supposed to be separate from the world. Everything we do should glorify God. That doesn’t mean mistakes won’t happen. We’ll fail; we’ll mess up. But we should strive to behave ourselves according to Christ. Philippians 4:8 is a great verse for reference in that regard.
Christian behavior encompasses selflessness. 1 John 3:16-17 says, Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? When we put others’ needs before ours, we display the love of Christ.
And displaying that love includes being slow to anger (James 1:19). Now, I admit I have a temper. And you might, too. It can be difficult to keep a temper from exploding. But I think it’s important to remember that God is slow to anger (Psalms 103:8), and even though we’ll never be like God because we are sinful, we should extend the same forgiveness that He does (see verse 4 above).
You know what I’ve started doing when I think I may be about to lose my temper? I begin singing “God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman.” I know it probably sounds crazy, but it works for me. Sometimes I have to sing it more than once. The song, though, reminds me of God’s love and mercy, sending His Son to die for us. That in itself is a reassuring thought. Sometimes I don’t remember to use this tool, though, or my temper fires before I can rein it in. And that’s when I’m perhaps most thankful for God’s mercy.
Takeaway
I think what a lot of this boils down to is remembering who we are in Christ. Christ forgave us, so we should forgive each other. Christ is kind when we least deserve it, and we should be kind to others. Christ was humble, a King who was born in a stable. He had every right to demand a throne and a castle, but He didn’t. He was a servant, and we should be, too.
Love is about more than pretty words. It’s how we treat people. It’s how we model Christ. So for this week’s challenge, treat others as Christ would. With kindness, patience, and forgiveness.
