"All you need is love" 1 Corinthians 13 version
1 Corinthians 13
PRAY
The church at Corinth was divided and immoral. Some of the Corinthians thought they were super-spiritual because they possessed certain spiritual gifts. Paul deals with this issue in Chapters 12 and 14. Here, in the middle we have Chapter 13 !
It is as if Paul is saying that it is love that should make Christians stand out rather than what God-given talents we have or what we do for him. Jesus said, "By this all men will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another". John 13:35.
Love is closely linked to faith and hope as we read at the end of this Chapter. Faith, or a life changing trust in Jesus. Hope, a confident hope that he will return and unite us with God in heaven for ever.
Note that the love must flow from the faith in Jesus. Just because someone is a loving person does not make them a Christian. Love must come from a knowledge and acceptance of God's love.
This goes along with modern psychology which says that we are affected by what we have experienced. Once we have received the free, unconditional love of God in Jesus then we are free and enabled to love others freely and unconditionally. Love is experienced and is expressed in a relationship. We know God's love, so we can show God's love.
God loves you and I so much we cannot fully comprehend it. It is the greatest love ever. We know this because Jesus said, "Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends", John 15:13.
I don't know if you can remember the "Love is..." cartoons ?
The truth is that love is not about sentimental feelings. The Greeks had different words for 'love'. Here it is 'agape'. A pure unselfish love, usually used of God's love for us. A love that puts someone else's interests before oneself. That is what Jesus did. He did not feel like going to the cross. But he submitted to God's will and went there because it was the way that God had decided to reconcile the world to himself. Something that earned our salvation for us.
Love is undeserved. We do not earn or deserve love. God's love is about His nature. He is love. It is not about us being love-able.
Love is hard work rather than sentiment. We need to measure ourselves up against Paul's definition of love in this passage. He tells us what love is, and what it is not.
Love is not : envious; boastful; proud; easily angered; recording wrongs; and delighting in evil.
Love is : patient; kind; rejoices in the truth; protecting; trusting; hoping; persevering; and lasting.
This is also a good check list for ourselves. Not that we can ever hope to act in all these ways all of the time. But we shouldn't give up. After all, I suppose we have never gone into an examination thinking we have a chance of getting 100%. But we would always want to try our best.
Each Christian has God the Holy Spirit living within them. Therefore, we have a source of love within us. Inspiring us to live and love for Jesus.
We also have Jesus example of loving to follow. As we read verses 4-8a this could be describing Jesus. READ.
4: Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, :5: Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; :6: Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7: Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. :8: Love never faileth:
Someone once said, 'Love is the hardest lesson in Christianity; but for that reason it should be our greatest priority to learn it.'
Love can be painful when it is rejected or misunderstood. We see this in the life of Jesus. We are called to follow this way which will be painful. But until we experience and express this type of love we cannot truly understand God's love.
Corrie Ten Boom said, 'You never so touch the ocean of God's love as when you forgive and love your enemies.
We should remember the great love of God in Jesus. Be inspired to love by the Holy Spirit and be determined to put God first, other people next, and ourselves last. This is the love that God wants us to exhibit as his followers.
We each have our own God-given opportunities to show that love. Maybe where we work, in our homes and families, in our leisure, in our church, in everything that we do.
We are to love one another in the way that Jesus loves us. A love that is free and unconditional. Love as it is described in this passage with patience, humility, tolerance, trust, and perseverance.
It was the 1930's in northern Canadian prairie. The height of the Great Depression. Jansen family was share-cropping but then lost their farm. A friend told them of a farm across from Jud Brewster. Few lasted there because Jud was so mean. Mr. Jansen said, "I'll just kill him."
They moved to the new farm. One week later, Brewster appeared at their door in a rage. Their chickens were bothering him, and he threatened to kill them. The family locked them up in the henhouse.
Peace for a time, then he showed up again. "Jansen, your pigs have been in my garden. They'll never get in my garden again!" There, in Brewster's wagon, was their herd of young pigs, all dead. He had shot each of them. Without saying a word, Mr. Jansen buried the pigs.
A few weeks later one of the Jansen boys came rushing into the house. "Daddy, go get a gun quick. Jud Brewster's pigs are in our garden!" The kids could already taste revenge. The father replied, "We won't need a gun. Round up the pigs."
After a lot of trouble getting them in the wagon, they headed over to Brewster's farm. "Good evening, Mr. Brewster. Your pigs have been in my garden. I've brought them back." The color drained from Brewster's face. "My pigs, my pigs in your garden?" "That's right. Where do you want us to put them?" Brewster's body sagged against the door and he said, "Just dump them over behind the barn."
Jansen replied with a slight grin, "OK, but they'll just get out again." When it had sunk in the Jansen had not killed the pigs, Brewster clutched his hand like a dying man. They talked for a long time. Brewster gave him half the pigs to keep, and on Sunday he came to church. From that point on, he was a changed man.
Later one of his boys asked him what he meant when he said he would kill Brewster when they moved by him. He replied,
"Not with a gun. I planned to do it another way - by heaping coals on his head. "That old neighbor is as dead as a doornail, just like I'd said he'd be. "And we're glad to be alive to see it.
PRAY
Love is kind and suffers long;
Love is pure and thinks no wrong;
Love than death itself more strong;
Therefore, give us love. Amen.
All you need is love ( 1 Corinthians 13 )
Love, Love, Love.
Love, Love, Love.
Love, Love, Love.
There's nothing you can say if there's no love
No wisdom you can share that's from above
Mountain moving faith is no use 'til you learn how to care
It's easy.
You can give up your body to the flame
No thing you give away can bring gain
Nothing you can do 'til you can spread His love around
It's easy.
All you need is love. All you need is love.
All you need is God, God. God is love, you see.
[ instrumental break ]
All you need is love. All you need is love.
All you need is God, God. God is love, you see.
Love it is patient and it cares
Love protects, trusts, hopes and perseveres
Faith hope and love but the greatest of all these is love
It's easy.
All you need is love. All you need is love.
All you need is God, God. God is love, you see.
All you need is love (All together, now!) All you need is love. (Everybody!)
All you need is God, God. God is love, you see. (God is love, you see.).
Yee-hai!
Oh yeah!
He loves you, yeah yeah yeah.
He loves you, yeah yeah yeah.