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“Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything. It is, in fact, the one thing that still stands when all else is fallen.” (1 Corinthians 13:7, J.B.Phillips) Paul is indicating “an active, vigorous endurance,...
HOPE
When I used to play tennis each Friday morning, I always hoped my game would improve. When I was younger I used to play rugby football for a team that didn’t always win, but we hoped every time we ran out on the field that we would be victorious. I don’t think that I...
LOVE ALWAYS TRUSTS
The sign on the counter of the store made its point: “In God we trust. All others pay cash!” Even American currency, backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, has printed on it: In God We Trust. Who can we trust in addition to God? “Love believes all...
PROTECTING OTHERS
The Medal of Honor, the Nation’s highest military decoration, was awarded posthumously to Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham. In April 2004 Dunham was leading a patrol in an Iraqi town near the Syrian border when an insurgent dropped a grenade into his vehicle. Dunham hurled...
SCHADENFREUDE
Schadenfreude is the German word which describes our malicious enjoyment of the mishaps or misfortunes of others. Schadenfreude is part of our culture. Every one of us experiences schadenfreude. It is intrinsic to every sport. We love it when our golfing buddies hit...
RESENTMENT AND FORGIVENESS
Love keeps no record of wrongs (NIV). Love is not resentful (RSV). Love holds no grudges (LB, 1 Corinthians 13:5). The verb Paul uses here means ‘to calculate.’ William Barclay says that the word “is an accountant’s word. It is the word that is used for entering up an...
ANGER
I had put up with his dominating, know-it-all attitude long enough. Every time I met him he lectured me on how to do my job. He was considered one of the most powerful men in town, and people were intimidated by him. He was physically commanding because of his height,...
SELF-SEEKING AND SELF-FULFILMENT
Love is not selfish. Love does not insist on its own way. Love does not ‘seek her own’ (KJV). Love does not ‘pursue selfish advantage’ (JBP, 1 Corinthians 13:5). Love is concerned with the well-being of others, not solely with its own welfare. Love is prepared to give...
LOVE IS NOT RUDE
We had traveled a long way to stay with friends we had not seen in a long time. From the moment we arrived one of the hosts dominated the conversation with critical comments and put downs which made us feel extremely uncomfortable. He was unrelenting in telling...
ARROGANCE
“Love is not proud or arrogant” (1 Corinthians 13:4) We had hired a general contractor to renovate our house and were assigned a project manager. Our architect had produced a helpful set of plans and we were excited about the prospect of getting the job done. However,...
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