Love Part 2

Wow this is a good one!
1Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
Love is Patient.....Patient ya, lets look at that word.
Here are some definitions according to Dictionary.com,
Patient:
Bearing provocation,1. the act of provoking or inciting 2. something that causes indignation, anger, etc 3. words or conduct that incite a person to attack another.
Bearing annoyance, misfortune, delay, hardship, pain, etc., with fortitude and calm and without complaint, anger, or the like. Enduring trying circumstances with even temper.
Quietly and steadily persevering or diligent, esp. in detail or exactness.
So in summery it means we put up with a lot with out losing it.

I don't know about you but I think that I am in need of some more Patients!
How many times have I in my words or conduct provoked my spouse? How many times do I annoy or get annoyed by my spouse only resulting in complaining or attacking her out of anger? We need to be honest with ourselves in reading these definitions.
How often do we complain about our spouse, friends, or family members, in front of them or to others? How often out of hardship, annoyance, and or pain do we lose our cool lashing out in anger seriously hurting them emotionally, or maybe even physically. In our thinking or not thinking (aka fighting) the mouth opens on both sides of the room and outcomes the !&^*&!#^$*&!T#.......in some cases it is you hurt me , I hurt you.....In other cases it can in deed be more one sided. In the case of the so called strong silent type of person, in such situations they have a tendency to withdraw pulling every thing inside. Yet the wound is deep, it will not be shown but through time if not healed properly through true reconciliation can be reopened over and over again. This causes a slow roting root of bitterness, making the person after time unable to feel and or express true emotion.
Having Patients is extremely important in any Loving relationship, without it, it is not Love!
LOVE IS PATIENT...


Love is Kind,
Kind: 1. having a friendly or generous nature or attitude 2. helpful to others or to another: a kind deed 3. considerate or humane 4. cordial; courteous (esp in the phrase kind regards ) 5. pleasant; agreeable; mild; 6. informal  beneficial or not harmful: a detergent that is kind to the hands.
7. Of a good or benevolent nature or disposition, as a person: a kind and loving person.
8. Having, showing, or proceeding from benevolence: kind words.
9. Indulgent, considerate, or helpful; humane (often fol. by to ): to be kind to animals.
10. mild; gentle.

Ah, here we go, this one doesn't step on my toes as much. I can relate more to this definition. Thank you Lord for Kindness, a quality I do have a lot of. Some people might look at this and realize they are not mild or in need of being more pleasant, generous, considerate, and agreeable.
After all LOVE IS KIND...



It does not Envy, or in some translations it says Love is not Jealous.

Envy:
A feeling of discontent or covetousness with regard to another's advantages, success, possessions, etc. Envy and jealousy are very close in meaning. Envy denotes a longing to possess something awarded to or achieved by another: to feel envy when a friend inherits a fortune. Jealousy, on the other hand, denotes a feeling of resentment that another has gained something that one more rightfully deserves: to feel jealousy when a coworker receives a promotion. Jealousy also refers to anguish caused by fear of unfaithfulness. To resent, Envy, begrudge, and covet refer to one's attitude toward the possessions or attainments of others. To envy is to feel resentful and unhappy because someone else possesses, or has achieved, what one wishes oneself to possess, or to have achieved: to envy the wealthy, a woman's beauty, an honest man's reputation. To begrudge is to be unwilling that another should have the possessions, honors, or credit that person deserves: to begrudge a man a reward for heroism. To covet is to long jealously to possess what someone else possesses.

Wow this is just about all of us....Makes me wounder, Envy definitely came in during the fall in the Garden. I think it is safe to say that it has grown into a huge tree with roots, woven into and at every level of culture and society. We are always looking at others and wishing, thinking that's not fair, or why can't I... Or saying with the fake smile and disgusted heart “Oh must be nice...” AHHHH...the forever true clique “ The grass is always greener on the other side!” Well isn't it??
We must have what everyone else has. If we don't then there is something wrong with us.

I began to look at my self on this and found that I was pretty ugly! I had envy of others that had big amazing anointed ministries. I had envy of those organizations that seem to have it all together with all their activities and every staff member driving a new Toyota pickup. I was Jealous of all the Missionaries that get to go with their families on holiday once every year or two. I could go on and on! I had to repent and realize that I was doing the opposite because Love does not envy.
Like I said in my first posting “Love part 1” I must make my life's goal Love. If I don't have LOVE I gain nothing!
You what is awesome? After spending some time with the Lord on this I have literally seen all my envy and jealousy leave my life. I can revisit every memory and circumstance of where it was before and see that now in it's place is beautiful, peaceful, Love....
Now as I move forward in life, I see clearly It is a matter of the heart! If there is envy or jealousy there then my choice will reflect that and so will my attitude toward others.

It does not Boast,
Boast:
to speak with exaggeration and excessive pride, esp. about oneself.
to speak of with excessive pride or vanity
Boast, brag imply vocal self-praise or claims to superiority over others. Boast usually refers to a particular ability, possession, etc., that may be one of such kind as to justify a good deal of pride: He boasts of his ability as a singer. Brag, a more colloquial term, usually suggests a more ostentatious and exaggerated boasting but less well-founded: He brags loudly of his marksmanship.

No one likes to be around a person that always talks about themselves. You know those that, for every story or situation has to share something about themselves or have a story that goes with that particular situation. Even if at that moment it is nothing to do with them. It is almost to say that they must input themselves into everything.
I remember that I use to do this, I would look for any opportunity where I could insert a story or something that would share about a situation I was in or encountered. In short I wanted people to look at me, I wanted to be noticed.. It was not that people were not interested in what I had to share or hear my crazy stories. But it can become a bit over kill, many times people who have a problem with boasting also have a problem in seeing timing and using tact on their constant opening of the mouth.
I thank God that I have over come this for the most part. The truth is I love to talk about my awesome, crazy, roll a coaster life. With God there is never a dull moment! But when it turns into boasting, thats just wrong. Love does not boast!

It is not proud,
Proud:
feeling pleasure or satisfaction over something regarded as highly honorable or creditable to oneself
having, proceeding from, or showing a high opinion of one's own dignity, importance, or superiority.
stately, majestic, or magnificent
highly gratifying to the feelings or self-esteem
—Synonyms
1.Contented, self-satisfied. Overbearing, self-important, disdainful, imperious, presumptuous.
Proud, arrogant, haughty imply a consciousness of, or a belief in, one's superiority in some respect. Proud implies sensitiveness, lofty self-respect, or jealous preservation of one's dignity, station, and the like. It may refer to an affectionate admiration of or a justifiable pride concerning someone else.
Arrogant applies to insolent or overbearing behavior, arising from an exaggerated belief in one's importance: arrogant rudeness. Haughty implies lofty reserve and confident, often disdainful assumption of superiority over others.

Another word coming from the same root, having the same meaning is Pride. I was taught that the shortest definition of pride is “I”...
It starts with I, ends with I and usually is filled in the middle with I,I,I,and I.
In a sense it means that it is about my thoughts, my wants, my desires, my feelings, my dislikes...
that tells me that it is my job, my house, my family, my studies, my business, my car, my church.
When it is all about “I” and it is all “my”, It leaves little room for Him (God)!
We have become so incredibly independent in this life that we only bring God in when we see we can fit him in. we have become to darn good at “running” our own life's. It's all about us, and sometimes what “we”or “I” do for him (God).

Love is not Proud but we sure are.
Lord help me to think of myself with sober judgment, placing others above myself.
I want this LOVE!!!!

Love Part 1

Part 1 of Love

The other day I was with my wife on a date. We were talking about the usual, kids, Ministry, life in Africa, how much we love each other, etc... My wife asked me the same question that she often asks, “Do you know that I love you?” My response was as usual, “yes I do, do you know I Love you?”
She said Yes then asked me, “what do you love about me?” I am sorry, that is as much of the conversation as you are going to get. The rest is between us.
But I will say this, that conversation started my mind on a path that I would like to share with you.

Love, what is Love? There are in fact several padded answers for that one. Some would say, well it depends on who you ask. Love can be interpreted in many ways. What love is for one person could be looked at differently by another. Of course there are scores of books on the subject of “Love”, all with there opinions of what it looks like. Magazines full of articles and self helps to help you find that perfect “Love”... I don't know about any of that. I am far from being a specialist on it. I don't think it is a subject though... or at least I don't look at it as that. There are “love” stories.
But Love, in fact is a verb, meaning it is full of action. That is at least what I learned in school, that verbs are action words. Unfortunately Man as raped it, molested it, and abused it until it now looks nothing like it's original form. It has taken on an entirely different face and shape. No wounder people are so confused about “love”, because what they are getting is the new and NOT improved version.

Here are a few words and phrases that are connected now to our so called “love”; Touchy; feely; but I thought you loved me; if you love me then you would or would not; I just don't love him/her any more; I feel in love; I fell out of love; it's time to look out for me; he/she makes me feel loved again.
The list can go on and on.

I have heard these things and things like them all to often. With this warped misconception of love, it does not surprise me about the high percent of the divorce rate.

I have had this word “Love” running through my head non stop with these questions attached to it.
WHAT IS IT? DO I REALLY HAVE IT?
To answer these questions I am going to go through what I think is the oldest and greatest definition of the word “LOVE” The Bible, 1 Corinthians, 13: 1-13.

Lets begin with verses 1-3

1. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

As I shared above this all started with the conversation that I had with my wife but did not end there by no means. This is the beginning of the path. I will now share what I have been getting through this study that the Lord is taking me through. My thoughts as well as my challenges.

Verses 1-3 spoke loud and clear!!! In my words, “It doesn't matter who I am or who I become, what I do or what I obtain. If I don't have LOVE I gain nothing. So what ever I do I better make sure that my life's goal is LOVE!”

Stay tuned next week for part 2