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Timothy: I Corinthians 13:1-7
The Way of Love – Part 1

Dear God, my Beloved Father, I respectfully offer my praise and gratitude to You. You are the Almighty God and my Father in Heaven. Every new day You give me, I joyfully receive it, for I know that You still want me to be in this flesh, serving You through the Church. Please grant me an abundance of Your grace to fulfill the good works You have prepared for me. I also remember my brothers and sisters who are facing challenges and being attacked by the forces of evil. I ask You, Father, to strengthen and enlighten them, so they may stand firm and overcome the schemes of the devil. I pray for new strength from Christ. I ask the Holy Spirit to grant me understanding as I contemplate the Eternal Living Word of God. I am grateful to the Triune God.

Father, I present my reflections on love, as described in I Corinthians 13:1-7.

I understand that love is the nature of God. When He created humanity, He gave them a nature that resembled His own. Therefore, humans have the capacity to love. However, since the Fall and the resulting sin, the love within humanity has been corrupted. Humans no longer love with the love of God. Human love is no longer connected to righteousness and holiness. In the name of love, humans commit countless acts of injustice, deceit, and immorality. But I thank You, Father, for You have given humanity Your eternal living Word. Within it, there are teachings about the characteristics of love. You have also provided humanity with the opportunity to restore love by accepting Your Gospel of Salvation.

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

Verse 1: If someone has the gift of speaking in the tongues of mortals and of angels but lacks love, they are like a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

Verse 2: If they have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if they have a faith that can move mountains but lacks love, they are nothing.

3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

Verse 3: If someone specializes in doing charitable deeds, gives away all their possessions to support the poor, and is willing to die for their faith but lacks love, then those actions do not benefit that person.

4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity 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.

Verses 4-7: These verses list seven attributes of love and eight characteristics that love does not possess. The seven attributes of love are: patience or long suffering; kindness; rejoicing in truth; covering all things; believing all things; hoping in all things; and enduring all things. The eight characteristics that love does not possess are: envy; vaunting or boasting; puffing up or pride; behaving unseemly or acting unlawfully; seeking self-interest; being easily angered; thinking evil; and rejoicing in iniquity. Verse 8 adds that love never fails.

Patience means being tolerant and persevering. It means being willing to forgive those who offend and harm us, enduring injustices inflicted upon us, and waiting for those who do wrong to repent.

Kindness is a gentle and compassionate attitude towards all people, without discrimination or prejudice. It desires goodness for everyone and is willing to wholeheartedly help others whenever possible.

Rejoicing in the truth means finding joy in what aligns with God’s will, as revealed through His Word, because God is truth. It means finding joy in anything that is not contrary to God’s Word or against Him.

Bearing all things should be rendered as covering all things. It means doing everything possible to shield the weak and vulnerable ones from harm, to protect them from dangers, and to prevent them from straying away from God’s Word. Those who possess love will also cover the mistakes and sins of others if they genuinely repent and show remorse. They will never bring up the past sins of those who have sincerely repented and abandoned their wrongdoing. However, this does not mean that someone with love will refrain from informing their brothers and sisters in Christ if they have committed an offense or transgression, calling them to repentance. It also does not mean that someone with love would refuse to testify about the wrongdoings of a person in a worldly court or before the discipline of the Church.

Believing all things does not mean blindly believing any words spoken by anyone or trusting every emotion within oneself. Every word spoken, and every emotion felt must be compared to the Word of God. Believing all things primarily means believing everything recorded in the Holy Bible. It also means believing in one’s own judgments, which are based on the Bible regarding all matters. In other words, it is having a firm conviction about all things, guided by the Holy Spirit in one’s mind. Those who possess love are those who love God and love others with the love of God; they are not self-centered, so they can trust in their judgments based on the Word of God regarding all matters.

Hoping in all things means having hope for a good and favorable outcome in all things, and most importantly, having hope for the repentance of sinners and the restoration of those who have erred. Enduring all things means, out of love for God and others, being able to endure all adversities, including difficulties, trials, injustices, lack, afflictions, and illnesses. It means embracing suffering for the sake of honoring and glorifying God and for the purpose of helping one’s brothers and sisters in Christ.

Not being envious means not feeling resentful, irritated, or bitter when seeing others surpass oneself in any aspect. Those who possess love will not be envious, but will genuinely rejoice for those who experience greater blessings. However, in the face of the prosperity of evildoers, those who possess love do not rejoice or feel envious. Instead, they pray for God to give the wicked a chance to repent and recognize His salvation, and they pray for God’s will to be done in their lives.

Not vaunting or boasting means not exaggerating or fabricating things about oneself to elevate one’s own status, misleading others, and causing them to have the wrong understanding of oneself. Those who possess love do not deceive others by boasting.

Not puffing up or showing pride means not bragging about one’s talents, skills, or goodness with the intention of elevating oneself and belittling others, and wanting others to admire and respect oneself. Arrogance is claiming the glory of God because every good thing we have is bestowed upon us by God. Those who possess love acknowledge their talents, skills, and goodness but attribute the glory to God, making it clear to everyone that it is a gift from God.

Not behaving unseemly or acting unlawfully means not doing anything that goes against customs or laws. Regarding customs, there may be things that are not illegal but are not in line with local customs. For example, there may not be a legal prohibition against picking one’s nose or ear in public, but it is considered impolite to do so. If any customs or laws do not contradict the Bible, the people of God should obey them. Those who possess love do not engage in actions that would cause disgust or offense to others.

Not seeking self-interest means not only seeking personal benefits; in other words, not being selfish. Those who possess love always consider the interests of others equal to their own, as they love others as they love themselves. Specifically, concerning their brothers and sisters in Christ, those who possess love will prioritize the interests of their brothers and sisters over their own, as they love them more than they love themselves, even to the extent of sacrificing their own lives for them.

Not being easily angered means not immediately becoming angry over anything that goes against one’s desires, beliefs, or standards without knowing the reason behind the opposition and without considering whether one’s desires, beliefs, or standards align with the Word of God. Those who possess love always empathize with the weaknesses and shortcomings of others, are willing to understand why someone might do something angering, always carefully examine whether the reason for their anger truly goes against the Word of God, and always give the person who made the mistake an opportunity to correct it.

Not thinking of evil means not causing pain and harm, but it is not the same as sin. Sin is an offense against God, while evil is a means that God uses to discipline humanity. God Himself created evil. Not thinking of evil means not dwelling on thoughts of suffering or pain or wishing them upon others. We are prone to discontentment in the face of others’ wrongdoing and desire immediate and proportional punishment, such as an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth. Furthermore, thinking of evil also means not assuming without reason that others have committed faults or sins or have malicious intent.

Not rejoicing in iniquity: Iniquity is a sin, anything that goes against the Word of God. Every day in the world, countless acts of iniquity occur: people exploit others, deceive others, take advantage of others, and oppress others. All of these are acts of iniquity, and it is difficult for anyone to find joy in such things, except for those who commit those acts of iniquity. However, we are often inclined to rejoice when we see evildoers being treated unfairly. Those who possess love cannot rejoice in any form of iniquity that happens to anyone.

Love never fails. It always achieves its noble purpose. The purpose of love is to help humanity understand God and His salvation. The purpose of love is to make the people of God whole, just like God Himself.

Dear Father, please help each of Your people to understand and apply the lessons of love in their lives. Please help us to always love God, love one another, and love ourselves with genuine love. I am grateful, Father. Amen!

In the grace of Jesus Christ, my Lord.

Timothy Christian Huynh
05/24/2023