Jump Start # 1289

1 Corinthians 13:7 “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

  We wrap up our look at some of the statements from the “love chapter” of the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13. These words from Paul were not intended to spark the romantic flame in marriages, but build bridges between brethren that were torn down by pride, jealousy and division. Sometimes, often times, in the midst of disputes, whether at home, or among brethren, we forget the big picture. We forget that we are on the same team. Satan loves for us to fight each other because that takes our attention off of what we ought to really be doing.

Our verse today, wrapping up Paul’s description of Biblical love, is some of the more positive thoughts in this section. He has defined loved by showing what it is not. Now he shows what love is. Four statements. Each ending with “all things.” Bears, believes, hopes and endures—all things. The first and the last, bears and endures, are very similar. The middle two, believes and hopes, are very similar.

Love puts up. It puts up with inconveniences. We see this in marriage. Standing before the preacher we vow at our wedding to love in sickness and health, riches or poverty, good times or bad times. The thing is, those are not choices. We don’t pick the health, riches and good times but skip the others. They come together. It’s called life. Taking care of your mate who is sick in bed with the flu is not what we call “precious memories,” but we do it because that’s what love does. Now applying this thought where it was intended, among brethren, we put up with those little things that irritate us. He is not implying putting up with wrong things. We do not tolerate sin. We do not put up with wrong attitudes, we change those. However, there are those many, many things about each other that can bug us. The guy who sings so loud but he is always off. Love bears. The guy who always says the same thing in every prayer. Love bears. The person who shakes your hand in a weird way. Love bears. Bearing is very similar to patience. This is what love does.

Love believes. Love hopes. Love thinks the best, not the worst. Love is not suspicious. Love is not doubting. Love is optimistic. Love is wanting the best. The way some talk, you’d think that they want others to fail. You get the idea that they are always thinking the worst. Innocent before proven guilty doesn’t stand a chance with these folks. That’s not the way love operates.

These words describe how we think and treat one another. It’s no wonder that division thrives in some congregations, because of the way people think of one another. What’s missing is love. They are not thinking the best of one another.

Now can we do better in the love category? Maybe our marriages need it, but especially we need it within our congregations. Instead of a spirit of trying to get rid of some people, we need more love and patience. Instead of trying to turn everyone into me, we ought to be trying to get them to be more like Jesus.

Love keeps us from being so picky with one another. The judgmental eyes criticize how we are dressed, where we sit, what we do, how we sing, who we sit with, how our hair is combed and on and on. Pick, pick, pick. The stares. The whispers. The shunning. It’s enough for some people to go else where, and they often do. It’s enough for some to declare that Christ doesn’t dwell there, and they are nearly right. Love doesn’t do that.

We must remember two important things:

First, God loves them. If God loves others, I best. They may be quirky in my book, but God loves them. Back off. Give them a break. See the good in them. Love bears, believes, hopes endures.

Second, God loves you. I expect in God’s eyes we are a bit quirky ourselves. We don’t see it that way, we never do. We tend to think of ourselves as varsity material when in fact it’s a wonder that we are even on the team. Love bears, believes, hopes and endures—even to us.

So, I need to love my church family. I need to know them. I need to connect with them. They are great people. They are the best people on the face of the earth. They are God’s people. Perfect? No. But neither are we. They love the Lord and they want to do what the Lord says. That’s amazing and something to be thankful for. Sometimes, especially for us preachers, it seems that we are never satisfied with what the church is doing. We are always pushing, driving, and “on their backs,” about something. Maybe we too, need a good dose of love for them. Love bears, believes, hopes and endures.

For a troubled Corinthian church, those four expressions, would go along way in building bridges in their relationships. Those words would make them realize that they are not to be fighting each other, but locking arms in the greatest fight of all, against Satan. Together, use each other’s talents and strengths. Together, help each other. Together, support, defend, and LOVE each other. Those things would help them.

I think those things would help us as well. Sly Stone had a great song many years ago, “We are family, all my brothers, sisters and me.” That’s it! That’s what we are, we are family. And what a wonderful, wonderful family it is.

Love is…

Roger

Jump Start # 1288

1 Corinthians 13:5 “does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered”

  Our Jump Start yesterday took a look at the previous verse from today. This is Paul’s long definition of Biblical love. This is often referred to as the “love chapter of the Bible.” As we found yesterday, this was not placed here for weddings, but rather to help divided and disgusted brethren get along with one another.

The love Paul talks about has nothing to do with Valentine’s, hearts, candle light dinners, holding hands or romance. There was another word for that. This is not a feeling, but a choice. This is a choice that is made not based upon how the other acted. This is not a re-action, but an action. This is God’s relationships toward us. This is why God sent Jesus while we were still sinners. God loved us. He chose to love us. It wasn’t that we were so cute, adorable, good or irresistible. In fact, we were the opposite. We were rebellious, stubborn, selfish and sinful, yet God still chose to love us.

Our verse today contains four descriptions of this love. Each statement is presented in the negative. The expression “does not,” is used three times. “Is not,” is used once. Paul shows us what love is not. In the context of prideful Corinthians who were fussing over spiritual gifts, these words came with name tags on them. They were selfish. They were acting terribly. They were walking about with chips on their shoulders. They were a real mess and mostly they were not acting anything like the God who loved them and had saved them.

Of these four expressions, I want to focus upon the last one, “does not take into an account a wrong suffered.” Notice how other Bibles word this expression:

• It keeps no record of wrongs (NIV)
• Resentful (ESV)
• It doesn’t keep a record of wrongs that others do (CEV)
• Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others (MSG)

Love doesn’t keep score. Love doesn’t keep track. Do you know what the language of score keeping is? Two simple words, “Always,” and “Never.” Those are the words of one who has kept track. He knows what the score is. It comes out this way: “We always get to do what you want to do.” How does one know that? Score keeping. “We never get to do what I want to do.”  Score keeping.

We keep track of the score in marriage. We always go to your mother’s house for the holidays, or, you never want to go see a show that I want. Always…Never…A lot of score keeping can take place in a marriage.

Score keeping takes place in church as well. You hear some complain, “He always leads singing.” How do they know? Score keeping. They “never” call on me for prayer. He’s got the tally. He knows the score.

But our passage carries a much deeper and more serious problem here. It’s not just the always and the never, but the keeping track of wrongs. Someone has been keeping score on others. This reveals a judgmental and evil spirit. There is something wrong deep inside the heart of the score keeper. Maybe it’s jealousy. Maybe it’s a bit of self righteousness. Maybe they have been standing with the prodigal’s older brother for too long. What’s missing is the spirit of forgiveness.

When one forgives, the score is erased, love is triumphant and joy is restored. With forgiveness, the past remains in the past. Forgiven wrongs are put in an unmarked grave that is never visited again. The score keeper doesn’t do that. He remembers. He reminds others. His radar is always on and his eyes are wide open to catch any infraction of others. He is quick to denounce, condemn and execute punishment. He has no grace in his heart. He has forgotten what God has done for him. He has forgotten that God does not treat him this way. He has forgotten that the Lord promised if we will not forgive others, then God will not forgive us. The score keeper doesn’t smile much. There’s not much to smile about. All he sees are things that are wrong. He worries others with his constant complaining and finger pointing. He picks the scabs off of fresh wounds. He will not allow things to heal. The score keeper stirs things up. The score keeper is a trouble maker.

In a troubled church like Corinth, the score keeper will keep division alive. He will draw sides. He will make matters worse. He is a pill and a pain. I’ve known many score keepers in my life. I kept them busy watching me. They’d love to point out mistakes in sermons, articles and grammar. They loved to compare. They were never content, never satisfied, never happy. The score keeper fills his days watching others and keeping the score.

Oh, the memories or actually the nightmares that race through my mind when I recall the score keepers in my life. But then it dawns on me, haven’t I been score keeping the score keepers? Haven’t I been guilty of the very thing that they have done? Why have I not let these things go? Why do they still hurt and bother me? Maybe, I too, haven’t forgiven.

Love doesn’t keep score. Love forgives. Imagine the score keeper with Jesus’ words about forgiving seventy times seven. The score keeper would have his calculator out and be counting. Love doesn’t do that. Love forgives. Love extends the Olive branch. Love accepts. Love builds bridges. Love looks in the mirror more than it does at others. Love knows what the score is, that we are all sinners who need Jesus. No one of us are better than others.

The difference love makes is huge. It can bring the fallen back home. Love is kind, sweet and helpful. Love invites. Love welcomes. Without love, the church becomes the judgment bench. That may be the reason some never come back. They have enough pain already, they don’t need the church to make them feel worse. Fallen preachers, wayward teenagers, struggling families, new converts who can’t seem to hit on all cylinders—they don’t need judgmental looks and fingers pointing at them. They need love.

Love doesn’t keep score. Love covers a multitude of sins. Love conquers. What a divided church needed to hear was that love has turned off the score board. The game goes on, but no one knows the score. It doesn’t matter. What our congregations, our families and our marriages need is the same thing.

Love is…

Roger

Jump Start # 1287

1 Corinthians 13:4 “Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant.”

  Valentine’s Day is this weekend. The stores are stuffed with chocolates, red hearts, flowers and love is in the air. Love is the foundation of our deepest relationships. Love is what turns sweet, quiet young mothers into Mamma Bears, who will do anything to protect their little cubs. Love is what drives us to go out of our way to help others. Love is what compelled God to send Jesus to rescue us. God is love, is the resounding theme of the entire Bible.

Our verse today comes from what is often considered the “love chapter of the Bible.” It is interesting where it fits contextually in Corinthians. Missing this, misses a huge lesson that the apostle intended. We often use these verses in weddings, and there is much good that can be gained from that application, but that was not the target audience. Paul is answering questions and concerns the Corinthians have about spiritual gifts. Chapter twelve begins, “Now concerning spiritual gifts…” This is the way Paul looks at their questions and answers them. This began back in chapter seven when he wrote, “Now concerning the things about which you wrote…” Chapter eight, “Now concerning things sacrificed to idols…” Later on, in chapter sixteen, “Now concerning the collection for the saints…” So, here in this section, he is answering thoughts about spiritual gifts. The Corinthians were mixed up and messed up about these things. They elevated some gifts above others. Pride made them jealous and gave some the attitude of superiority over others.

There was much to write about. Paul takes three chapters to smooth out all the wrinkles that they had. In the middle of all of this, he writes the “love chapter.” Nothing is said about weddings in these chapters. Paul did not have a wedding the next weekend and he needed to write out a few thoughts for that. Paul is sticking with the theme of spiritual gifts. “The love chapter,” is about fellowship and relationship among brethren in the congregation.

Our verse today lays down some powerful principles: patience, kindness, not jealous, not bragging, not arrogant. Three “nots.” Three negatives. Three don’t do thats. In the context in which it was written, don’t be jealous that some have a gift that you do not. Don’t brag if you have a gift that others don’t. Don’t get the big head.

The age of spiritual gifts has passed, but what has not passed is the spirit of pride, ruffled feathers, hurt feelings and jealousy among folks in the church. These things are alive and well and these words help us in getting along with one another. Some of those who have the worst problems with this are preachers. I know. I’ve been there far too many times. You listen to someone who is so smooth, talented and good and you realize that you could never, ever be like that. Oh, the feelings that can stir up inside you. This happens often with a visiting preacher. His style is different than what folks are used to. He brings his best. His best suits. His best illustrations. His best sermons. His best smile. The congregation is ready to put him up on their shoulders and parade him up and down the aisle. And there stands the lonely local preacher. His ego is shot. His feelings hurt. Jealousy arises. For me, I just wanted to quit. What is worse is when the visiting preacher leaves and you have to follow him. That can be very painful on the insides. I was standing beside a visiting preacher one service when a guy came out, throwing out so many compliments that it was nearly sickening. He then said very loudly, not realizing I was standing right there, “I sure wish we could have preaching like that around here all the time.” I just needed a hole to crawl inside. Those that preach, understand what I am talking about. I told a guy recently that the reason nearly every church building has double doors is to get the preacher’s head through it. After a while, he starts believing all the stuff people are saying. Sometimes the syrup can be too thick and it ruins instead of compliments. This is the stuff that makes jealousy so strong.

There is a greater application than just preaching, it goes to all abilities and talents. We can be jealous of what others do. And those that have a wonderful talent, can make it worse by their arrogance and pride. Little things like that often become big things. It’s the very things that causes some to leave and never come back.

Now, look at Jesus. No one had more talent than He did. No one was greater than He was. Yet He didn’t make others feel small around Him. There was something about Him that made people want to surround Him. They wanted to listen to Him. They wanted to talk to Him.

So here are a few thoughts from all of this:

First, we all have talents. All of us. I’ve met some who claim, “I can’t do anything.” Not true. We don’t have the same talent, but we all have talent. God doesn’t make junk! Remember that. You have a special niche. You are wired a special way. You can do what others can not. Too often we only measure talent by what is done publically. The behind the scenes stuff is just as important. I have a group of guys, mostly deacons, who sit in a media box while I preach. There are monitors, cameras, mixers and just a whole bunch of lights and buttons in that room. I don’t know how to even turn on the mics. But without these great guys, few could hear me. They have a talent. I know some who serve by hospitality. Their home is so welcome and inviting. They make the place as if the queen herself was coming. That’s a talent. For others, it’s visiting. They know just the right thing to do. Others, it’s fixing things for others. Still, others are gifted at inviting others to services. Some are masters at sending cards. I know, I have received a bunch and I save every one. Young people, old people, single people, married people, we all have talent, because that’s the way God made us. It would be a mess if we all did the same thing.

Second, each of us need to spend time polishing, developing and improving our talent. Get better. Learn from others. Read. Notice. Ask questions. Learn your strengths and improve upon them. The linebackers don’t spend time trying to throw a football down the field. They let the quarterbacks do that. Their strengths are somewhere else. Those that preach, preach better. Those that teach, teach better. Those that invite, invite better. Those that shepherd, shepherd better. Those that cook, cook better. Those that visit, visit better. Too often, we look at others, and cry because we can’t do what they do.  Do what you can do. Do it to the best that you can. I have a silent prayer that I pray every week, just seconds before I have to go preach. I ask the Lord to help me preach the best that I can that day. I don’t ask to be the best preacher, just help me be my best. I didn’t always pray that. Since I started, I noticed a difference. I was inviting God to help me. He did. Don’t flaunt your talent. Don’t toot your own horn. My wife and I have been going to the Louisville symphony for some time now. I’m recognizing the musicians. My favorite is the first chair cello. But the second chairs are important. They play a very important role. Because you preach does not mean that you know the Bible better than anyone else in that building. That’s not true at all. There is no place for stuffiness in the kingdom of God. We all stand behind Jesus.

Third, our attitudes about ourselves and others goes a long way to making things work as God wants them to. Share what you know with others. Don’t be in a secret club that is too good to help others. That’s not the way to go at all. Remember our verse today? Love is patient. Love is kind. Kindness to help another learn. Patience to bring him along. What I’ve found in training some younger preachers is that before long they preach better than I ever did. I see that in my son Jordan. Man, can he preach. I’m going to have him train me! He has a talent, a heart, and a kindness that will go a long way. Don’t  be jealous of such things. Be thankful! Be glad that they are on this side of the kingdom. Use them. Help them. Encourage them.

The spiritual gift issue at Corinth was getting out of hand, because attitudes were getting out of hand. We are all in the same boat and we are all after the same thing, Heaven. So help each other. Be thankful that there are so many talented people surrounding you. What a blessing that is. Don’t beat yourself up because you can’t do what they do. God made you the way you are and shine wherever you can.

The glory goes to God, not us.

Love is…

Roger