Love One Another
1 Cor 13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of
angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all
knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but
have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the
poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me
nothing. 4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not
parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its
own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but
rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all
things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they
will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge,
it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when
that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought
as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we
see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I
shall know just as I also am known. 13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these
three; but the greatest of these is love.
As Christians, we are called to be a reflection of our Lord
Jesus Christ. If we are indwelt with God’s Holy Spirit, then we should have
God’s divine nature and attributes present within our lives. As the moon
reflects light from the sun, we should reflect the light of the Son. God’s Word
tells us that the Law and the Prophets are fulfilled, if we love God, as well
as love our neighbor as our self. Christ is our example of selfless love.
Although Christ was God, he left his throne in glory, became a man, and humbled
himself to the death upon the cross. Upon the cross he said, “Father forgive
them for they know not what they do.” Christ taught us to love our enemies, and
to do good to those who wrong us. We should imitate Christ and have this same
selfless love for our neighbors.
It is sometimes hard to have love for our fellow coworkers,
students, or even family members, but with Christ, all things are possible. If
you are feeling anger or bitterness toward someone, I encourage you to pray for
them, as well as pray that God will help you see them through His eyes. I
always ask the Lord to help me to look beyond someone’s faults and see the
need. We live in a fallen world and we all have faults, which is why it is
important not to be critical of others. However, we must be born again to be
truly saved. We must put to death our old nature and become a new sanctified
creation in Christ. If we continue in sinful bondages then we deny both the
Father, as well as the Son.
1 John 3:3-10 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies
himself, just as He is pure. 4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness,
and sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know
that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. 6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever
sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive
you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil
has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested,
that He might destroy the works of the devil.
9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in
him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. 10 In this the children
of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice
righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.
1 Corinthians 13 is known as the love chapter. The first
three verses of this chapter show the importance of love. It states that you
may have the gifts of tongues, prophecy, and faith, feed the poor, and be
willing to have your body burned, but without love, it profits you nothing.
Galatians 5 lists the fruits of the Spirit and love is stated to be the most
important fruit. Many people are into good works, but if their works are not
from a sincere heart, filled with love, then they are in vain. Chapter 13 also
states that love is patient, kind and keeps no record of wrongs (KJV).
Sometimes it is hard to be patient with children, as well as many adults, but
true love is longsuffering. Love does not envy, nor is it arrogant, love puts
the needs of others before it’s own. Verse seven states that love, bears all
things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Without
Christ, it is impossible to have this kind of love, but through the indwelling
Holy Spirit, this is possible.
The entire world is a
mission field and the Lord does not require us to be eloquent speakers to share
our faith. True love will compel us to share our faith. We can plant seeds of
faith with those around us. It's not up to us for them to believe, it is the
job of the Holy Spirit to convict them of sin and lead them to the truth, but
we should utilize every opportunity to plant seeds of truth. One person may
plant a seed, then another will come and water that new tender shoot, then
another will harvest the crop and bring it into the storehouse (Luke 8:5-18).
The golden law is, “Do unto others as you would have them do
unto you.” God’s Word teaches us, that if we forgive others their trespasses
against us, the Lord will also forgive us our trespasses (Matt 6:14). In
addition, if we show mercy to others, then the Lord will show mercy to us.
God’s Word is clear, that the Lord will judge each of us, based on how we treat
our fellow man.
Matt 5:22-24, says
that if we are angry with our brother without a cause we shall be in danger of
the judgment, if we call him Raca (dumb head, or idiot), we shall be in danger
of the council, and if we call him a fool, we shall be in danger of hell fire.
God expects his children to pursue peace with all men, and name-calling, which
results from anger, is forbidden with God. God’s Word also says that it is
possible to be angry and not sin, but we are not to let the sun go down upon
our wrath. In other words, we are to make peace, as soon as possible with the
trespasser. If they refuse to make peace, we are to still forgive them in our
heart before the day is ended. Bitterness dries up the bones according to God’s
Word. It is also a medical fact, that people who are angry and bitter a lot,
are candidates for cancer, heart attacks, strokes, as well as other diseases.
The root of bitterness will lead to hate, which is the same as the sin of
murder according to Christ. In verses 23 and 24, Christ said, that when you
bring your gift to the alter, and then remember that your brother has something
against you, go and be reconciled with your brother then come and offer your
gift. This passage shows that grudges against others, will hurt your
relationship with the Lord, as well as cut you off from his blessings. Quiet
often, not forgiving others will also block a person from healings, as well as
hinder their prayers from being answered. Matt 18:21 Then Peter came to Him and
said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up
to seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times,
but up to seventy times seven. In this passage, Christ was telling Peter that
we are to forgive our brothers sins against us, countless times. We are to have
the mind of Christ, and follow his example. Since Christ gives us grace, we
should also extend grace to our fellow man, who is also created in God’s image.
Matt 18:23-35, Is the parable of the unforgiving servant.
Christ said, that the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who had a
servant who owed him ten thousand talents. The servant pleaded with the king to
have mercy on him, and not to sell him and his family. The king chose to have
mercy upon this servant, and to release him, as well as forgive his debt. This
servant then went to one of his fellow servants who owed him money, and grabbed
him by the throat, and demanded to be paid in full. This servant fell at his
feet and begged him to have patience, but he refused to have mercy upon this
servant. Instead, he had his fellow servant thrown in jail, until he was paid
in full. Then the king had this wicked servant delivered to the tortures
because he refused to have compassion upon his fellow servant. Verse 35 states,
“So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does
not forgive his brother his trespasses.”
In response to the question, “who is my neighbor?” Christ
taught the parable of the Good Samaritan. Christ said that there was a man who
went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves, who stripped him of
his clothing, wounded him, and left him half-dead. A priest and a Levite, passed by him on the
other side of the road and would not help him. But, a certain Samaritan saw him
and had compassion for him. The Samaritan bandaged his wounds, poured oil, and
wine on them, and brought him to an inn. He paid the innkeeper to care for the
man until he returned. Christ said that the true neighbor was the Samaritan,
because he showed mercy to the man who fell among thieves. Christ also said to
go and do likewise.
Many people nowadays
are very self-centered and the needs of others are of no importance. In a city
that I once lived near, I was told of a man who died from a heart attack, while
parked on the side of a road. The man was slumped over the steering wheel in
broad daylight, on a very busy, well-traveled road, and no one stopped to check
on him. The physician who examined the body said that the man would have
probably lived if someone had helped him. This is an example of the selfishness
that exists in our modern world. We need good Samaritans that are willing to
take the time to help those in need. I have also heard many stories of good
neighbors, who risked their lives to pull people out of burning cars or homes.
I know of a non- believer who was willing to open up their home to a homeless
family, when their Christian family members refused to. This non-believer
displayed mercy for this family and proved to be a good Samaritan, while the
Christian family members were willing to let their family go to a homeless
shelter. God will bless those who show mercy to others. In our modern culture,
we are taught that our money belongs to us and we have no responsibility to
help the less fortunate. The truth is quite the opposite; God’s Word teaches
that if we neglect the needy, we will not enter God’s kingdom. James taught
that faith without works is dead. James states, that if you see your brother or
sister naked, or hungry, and say to them, “be warm and filled,” but do not give
him what he needs, then your faith is dead.
James 2:14 What does
it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?
Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily
food, 16 and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and
filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the
body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have
works, is dead.
I admire the good work of ministries like the Salvation
Army, homeless shelters, and food banks. They show the love of Christ to the
hungry and homeless, by living what they preach. My wife and I used to do
volunteer work for a Salvation Army homeless shelter and it was very fruitful.
A person is more likely to listen to your testimony, if you are showing loving
kindness toward them, rather than begging for their money. If the church would
learn to be givers, rather than takers, then we would see a large harvest of
souls overnight. The wheat and the tares grow together in Christianity, but the
day is coming when the tares will be removed, and cast into the fire. Consider
Christ’s teaching on the separation of the sheep and the goats on judgment day.
The sheep, who enter God’s kingdom, are those who have fed the hungry, gave
water to the thirsty, gave shelter to the stranger, clothed the naked, visited
the sick and prisoner. The goats that go into punishment are those who have NOT
done these things for their fellow man. If we claim to know Christ, we should
have love, accompanied by action, for our fellow man. I encourage you to be a
good Samaritan and reach out with the love of Christ to a hurting world!
Luke 10:29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to
Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" 30 Then Jesus answered and said:
"A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among
thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving
him half dead. 31 Now by chance a
certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the
other side. 32 Likewise a Levite, when
he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed,
came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 So he went to him and bandaged his wounds,
pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an
inn, and took care of him. 35 On the next day, when he departed, he took out
two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him;
and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.' 36 So which
of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the
thieves?" 37 And he said, "He who showed mercy on him." Then Jesus
said to him, "Go and do likewise."
Matt 25:31 "When
the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He
will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before
Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his
sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set
the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will
say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry
and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and
you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited
Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'
37 Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see
You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You
a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You
sick, or in prison, and come to You?' 40 And the King will answer and say to
them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of
these My brethren, you did it to Me.' 41 Then He will also say to those on the
left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for
I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink;
43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe
Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' 44 Then they also will answer
Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or
naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' 45 Then He will
answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to
one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' 46 And these will go away
into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
