This week we continue in our study of God’s love by looking at “love does not dishonor, it is not self-seeking and it is not easily angered” from 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Love does not dishonor others.
The 1989 NIV version says “...It is not rude…” Love is never going to treat others with disrespect, dishonor, or be rude. Now that we know what love does not look like, let’s take a look at antonyms of this list of words in order to better understand what love should look like. The opposite character trait of disrespect is respect. The word respect means to esteem highly or to identify a sense of the worth or excellence within a person. When we are loving someone with respect we are willing to search out the good in them and formulate an opinion of them based on those good qualities. Wow! This truly is a skill that takes practice and persistence in order to carry out, especially when we come across those who seem to be unlovable. Our Heavenly Father’s love is one of respect. He always has the best in mind for His children.
The opposite character trait of dishonor is honor. We should hold others in such high regard that they walk away from us feeling like they have just spent time with the Father Himself. When we interact with others we should always view them through Christ’s eyes. Every person on this entire earth, no matter how much sin they might find themselves entangled in, is created in the image of God. We should have no difficulty treating others with honor when we keep that thought in the forefront of our minds.
The opposite of rude is kind. We discussed in part 3 that love is kind. When someone is kind they actively search out the strengths of others. People who are kind elevate the good in others. We all enjoy when others treat us with kindness. We should be willing to love others in kindness.
Love is not self-seeking.
I have always said that babies are the most selfish living being on the face of the planet, and for good reason. If they were not wired with the “me first mentality” then they would far too often get overlooked and their basic needs would not be met. Think about it, when a baby cries they are usually trying to communicate some type of need. They are hungry, tired, need changed, or they are sick. If they never cried how often would we as parents miss their feeding times, napping times, changing times, or not recognize when they are sick? In the case of a baby selfishness is a matter of survival. As we grow up we should slowly grow out of this need for constant attention. However, some of us find ourselves in the battle against selfishness each and every day. We much rather be served then serve. The love of Christ does not desire for us to come bearing gifts every time we enter His presence. Christ came to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). This concept of selflessness can be a tough one in our American culture today. We live in a generation that is obsessed with the “selfie.” We want so badly to appear as if we have arrived, we have it all together and that we have life figured out. If you think I’m off track on this just a little, take a look at Facebook or Instagram. When was the last time we or any of our friends posted the challenges we are facing in our life? All we post is things that make us look “good.” The reality is never what is posted on social media. Social media is a incubator for shelf. I’m not bashing those platforms by any means. I utilize them myself, but when all we post are things that elevate self then we better reevaluate whether or not self-centeredness has replaced a love for others.
I am so thankful that Christ’s love is not selfish. If it was, He would have gotten as far as the Garden of Gethsemane and decided that He didn’t want to suffer for the sake of others, that the pain of the cross was not worth it to Him. Self could have sat on the throne of His life. If this were the case, the blood would never have been shed and my sins, your sins or for the sins of every person who ever lived and who ever will live. This certainly would have been an eternal sentence for every last one of us to hell. I praise God for an unselfish love because it means freedom from sin and the gift of life eternal!
Love is not easily angered.
Someone who is easily angered is quick to lose their patience with others. Anger in and of itself is not sinful, it’s when we act upon that anger and allow our temper to get the better of us. We can be angry and not sin. Ephesians 4:26 tells us “In your anger do not sin Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry” Instead of having a short fuse in the anger department scripture tells us we are to be slow to anger. “... Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” James 1:19 Again, not that we can’t get angry at times, but we should be slow in getting there. We are to have patience with others. In part 3 we discussed that love is patient.
If God’s love was full of anger, His fuse would be short, He would be impatient and I would probably have already been burned up by His wrath. But instead, God’s love is not easily angered and patient with me. I am incredibly grateful for this! How about you?
Heavenly Father, I thank you that your love does not dishonor, it is not self-seeking and it is not easily angered. I pray that you help us in each of these areas so that we can love others with honor, respect, and kindness. Help us to keep our eyes off of ourselves and on others so we can love unselfishly. Father may your love flow through us in such a way that we are extremely slow to anger and frustration and quick to be patient with those around us. Lord, we still have a long way to go in some of these areas. I pray that your holy spirit comes in and takes over our hearts so that it’s not us trying to love like Christ in our human capabilities because we know that this is limited. May you work in us so that your love flows directly through us straight to the hearts of others. Thank you for your beautiful example of love. In the precious name of Jesus, we pray.
To read the other posts in this series please visit the Love series page.
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