Good Morning!

“Love is a many splendored thing”, but it certainly is not “nature’s way of giving a reason to be living”. This famous 1955 song/ movie missed the mark about what true love is.

Today, we’ll begin looking at what love really IS. Let’s look at 1^st Corinthians 13:4. I want to take the verse in small individual bites and savor them. Here are three versions:

1^st Corinthians 13:4a (NKJV) Love suffers long…
1^st Corinthians 13:4a (NASB) Love is patient…
1^st Corinthians 13:4a (ESV) Love is patient…

Okay,  please let us look at the words “suffers long/ longsuffering” and “patient”. And when I say look, I mean we’ll look at the original ancient NT Greek word/ definition behind our modern English word/ definition. There really is so much to learn by going back to the original source language to get the truest sense of what the word means… and what was intended by those words.

Makrothymeō is the word used here and it is actually a verb… an action word! And let me just copy and paste from the Blue Letter Bible website (http://www.blueletterbible.org): 

Love is: “makrothymeō”

• 1) to be of a long spirit, not to lose heart
•   a) to persevere patiently and bravely in enduring misfortunes and troubles
•   b) to be patient in bearing the offenses and injuries of others
•     1) to be mild and slow in avenging
•     2) to be longsuffering, slow to anger, slow to punish 

Wow! Love is not losing heart but being slow to indignation when bearing offenses and injuries of others. I think I like the word “longsuffering” to summarize this, for when someone offends us, hurts our feelings, and/or injures us emotionally and/ or physically, such things constitute suffering. Yet when we bear the affliction with mildness not losing heart (not letting ourselves get into pity-parties or resentments), we are demonstrating love towards that person who hurt us. 

It’s as if a person can say or do anything negative to us, yet our affection for them remains. And rather than get bitter, we don’t lose heart, but remain mild-mannered toward them. 

For example: Think of your spouse. If they snap at you in a moment of impatience towards you, do you bear that offense and remain affectionate toward them? Do you resist that oh-so-easy temptation to sin with retaliation? That is what it is like to be blessed with the grace of God, the grace to endure! 

Or flipside: What happens when you snap at your spouse in a moment of inconsideration? Do they bear your painful words? Do they seemingly absorb the hurt (to keep it from ricocheting) and afterwards, do they still demonstrate affection towards you…  Oh dear friend that is love being shown towards you! 

Now consider what great and grievous pain we have inflicted by our sins towards Jesus Christ… and yet isn’t He ever willing to wait for you and hold you in His arms and comfort you…  Recall many months ago I cited (I’m pretty sure) this verse: 

2^nd Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise (of judgment), as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us (you) not willing that any should perish (in Hell) but that all should come to repentance. 

So, such a quality as longsuffering is precious, wouldn’t you agree? To have it demonstrated toward us by God and a loving spouse, significant other, or friend we would be blessed! And what pleasing aroma would it be to our Lord should we demonstrate it towards others! Oh Lord, help us to truly love one another! 

**Comments/ questions/ testimonies/ objections most encouraged!

Dear Lord, thank you for this time to consider Your word and Your ways. May our thoughts, words, and deeds bring You glory… and glory to You alone. –Amen

Peace,
Jim