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Newspaper columnist and minister George Crane tells of a wife who came into his office full of hatred toward her husband. “I do not only want to get rid of him, I want to get even. Before I divorce him, I want to hurt him as much as he has me.”
Dr. Crane suggested an ingenious plan “Go home and act as if you really love your husband. Tell him how much he means to you. Praise him for every decent trait. Go out of your way to be as kind, considerate, and generous as possible. Spare no efforts to please him, to enjoy him. Make him believe you love him. After you’ve convinced him of your undying love and that you cannot live without him, then drop the bomb. Tell him that your’re getting a divorce. That will really hurt him.” With revenge in her eyes, she smiled and exclaimed, “Beautiful, beautiful. Will he ever be surprised!” And she did it with enthusiasm. Acting “as if.” For two months she showed love, kindness, listening, giving, reinforcing, sharing. When she didn’t return, Crane called. “Are you ready now to go through with the divorce?”
“Divorce?” she exclaimed. “Never! I discovered I really do love him.” Her actions had changed her feelings. Motion resulted in emotion. The ability to love is established not so much by fervent promise as often repeated deeds.
last week week we talked about the different elements of love including love being patient,kind etc. this week we will continue digging deeper!
1cor 13:4-8
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
last week we covered patient, kind,and envy! this week we will look at boasting,pride, no dishonor! to help us understand this let’s study in the original language greek ! to help us listen to the words of our friend and greek scholar rick Renner.
Charity [agape love] suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly….
— 1 Corinthians 13:4,5
When Paul wrote First Corinthians 13:1, he alluded to “super-spiritual” people in Corinth who boasted of great spirituality but who exhibited very little love in their lives. He said they were like a “sounding brass” and a “tinkling cymbal.”
As noted earlier (see September 9), these particular phrases indicate that these people talked incessantly, annoying and aggravating others with their never-ending, self-consumed chatter. In fact, the words “tinkling cymbal” were the very Greek words used to depict the clashing of cymbals that announced the onset of a war. This gives us the impression that the ceaseless talking and bragging of these “super-spirituals” often made their listeners fighting mad!
Could this be the reason Paul makes his fourth point on the characteristics of agape by saying that love “…vaunteth not itself…”? The word “vaunteth” has lost its meaning in today’s vernacular, but in Greek it is very powerful! This word comes from the Greek word perpereuomai, which means a lot of self-talk. In other words, it describes a person who endlessly promotes himself and exaggerates his own virtues. His self-promotion is so outrageous that he is usually prone to exaggeration that borders on lying. One Greek scholar has said that the word perpereuomai pictures a person who is full of hot air. Another expositor has said this word refers to a windbag!
The word “vaunteth” is Paul’s strong warning to let us know:
“…Love doesn’t go around talking about itself all the time, constantly exaggerating and embellishing the facts to make it look more important in the sight of others.…”
Even as I write, my thoughts have turned to an individual who fits this description perfectly! If you know anyone like this, you’re probably thinking of that person as well, because people like this are such an annoyance that it’s hard to ignore or forget them.
Regarding the man I’m thinking of, people who see him coming in their direction immediately begin to look for a way to escape. They know that once this man gets hold of them, he’s going to start talking endlessly about himself, his projects, his ideas, and his accomplishments. He boasts to such an extreme degree that it is outright obnoxious. The problem is, he doesn’t seem to be aware how full of his “self” he is!
Once a mutual friend asked him, “Why don’t you ever ask about anyone else? All you ever talk about is yourself and your own feats. Don’t you think it would be good to show at least some interest in what others are doing? Do you know how selfish you seem to be to other people?”
The man answered, “Is anyone else besides myself doing anything that is worth talking about? I’m the only one doing anything significant.” He was so self-consumed that he couldn’t even recognize the fact that there are other hard-working high achievers in the Kingdom of God!
Coming from a terrible, insecure foundation in his own life, this man somehow feels that he must stretch the truth to a ridiculous extreme and brag about his own accomplishments. He has sung his own praises so long that no one close to him wants to hear those songs anymore! His total lack of concern for others and his complete preoccupation with himself have become offensive and disgusting to nearly everyone who knows him.
Often people exaggerate and boast endlessly because they have a hidden agenda they want to promote or because they want to gain some higher position or place of authority. Other times they are hoping to make the kind of impression that might give them special status or recognition in the eyes of others. Finally, they may just feel driven to prove their worth. Regardless of the reason that people boast about themselves, this kind of behavior does not demonstrate the way that agape love behaves!
Agape love is so strong, so sure, and so confident that it doesn’t need to speak of itself or its accomplishments, even if those accomplishments are greater than anyone else’s. Real agape love would never flaunt itself in this way; instead, agape love wants to focus on the accomplishments of others in order to build them up and make them feel more valuable and secure. Remember, agape isn’t a self-focused love — it is focused on giving of itself in order to meet other people’s needs.
The next character trait in Gods love is avoiding evil pride ! remember pride is what caused Lucifer to fall!
again to get a handle on pride! also
Paul gives the fifth characteristic of agape love when he tells us that love “…is not puffed up.” These words are based on the Greek word phusio, which means to be proud, to be swollen, or to be inflated. Thus, this word vividly paints the picture of a person who is filled with pride.
Paul warns that agape is never phusio. This means agape love is never deceived into thinking too highly of itself, nor does it arrogantly claim that it is better than others. Making this word even more significant is the fact that the word phusio also carries the notion of a person who has an air of superiority and haughtiness or a person who is snooty or snobbish in his dealings with other people.
Paul uses the word phusio in First Corinthians 4:6 to denote the pride and arrogance that was developing between wrangling members of the Corinthian church, each of whom believed that his or her particular leader was more important than other leaders. In First Corinthians 4:19, Paul uses phusio again as he warns these believers to change their behavior; otherwise, he will come to rebuke those who are “puffed up.” This arrogance involving leadership was the primary source of division, contention, and rivalry in the Corinthian church.
In First Corinthians 5:2, Paul uses the word phusio yet again. After boldly confronting the Corinthian church for tolerating a grossly immoral situation among its members, Paul expresses his amazement that they could be “puffed up” in light of the ungodly relationship that was thriving right before their eyes. Then in First Corinthians 8:1 (NKJV), Paul uses the word phusio when he tells the Corinthians, “…Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.”
When you consider the Greek meaning of the words “puffed up,” it becomes evident that Paul was letting us know:
“…Love does not behave in a prideful, arrogant, haughty, superior, snooty, snobbish, or clannish manner.”
After Paul tells us that love is not puffed up, he proceeds to give us his sixth point. He writes that love “doth not behave itself unseemly….”
The Greek word for “unseemly” is aschemoneo, an old word that means to act in an unbecoming manner. It suggests a person who is tactless or thoughtless. It also expresses the notion of a person who is careless and inconsiderate of others. Both his actions and words tend to be rude and discourteous, and he exhibits bad manners in the way he deals with people. His language is harsh and brutal, revealing that this person is uncaring, insensitive, and unkind. In short, we would say that this is a person who “acts ugly.”
Because of the word “unseemly” in First Corinthians 13:5, it explicitly means that the Holy Spirit is telling us:
“Love is not rude and discourteous — it is not careless or thoughtless, nor does it carry on in a fashion that would be considered insensitive to others.…”
So how do you fare when you look into the mirror of God’s Word today? Do you pass the love test, or have you come up short again? If you see that you have fallen short of the high-level love God wants you to possess and exhibit in your life, it’s time for you to go back to the Lord and talk to Him about it again! Never stop going to Him until you know that you are walking continually in the high-level love He wants you to demonstrate in your life!
When all these Greek words and phrases are translated together, an expanded interpretive translation could be as follows:
“…Love doesn’t go around talking about itself all the time, constantly exaggerating and embellishing the facts to make it look more important in the sight of others; love does not behave in a prideful, arrogant, haughty, superior, snooty, snobbish, or clannish manner; love is not rude and discourteous — it is not careless or thoughtless, nor does it carry on in a fashion that would be considered insensitive to others….”
Is the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart? Is He showing you areas where you have:
If the answer is yes to any of these questions, it’s time for you to take immediate action! You need to spend some quality time with Jesus. Ask Him to forgive you, and let His blood cleanse you; then ask the Holy Spirit to start the process of transforming you into the image of Jesus. Don’t stop until you think, see, and act like Jesus Christ — every moment of every day!
the next area we will study is Anger!
For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
— James 1:20
I remember well a particular Christmas memory that isn’t very pleasant. I was about five years old, and I threw a horrible fit of anger because I was so upset with the gift that my Grandfather Miller and Grandma Jo gave me.
As I said in the December 9 Gem, our family had many divorced relatives. In order not to show favoritism to any one side of the family, my parents tried to visit every single part of the family each Christmas afternoon. It made for a busy afternoon driving from house to house — and one house we stopped at was my Grandfather Miller’s and his fourth wife, whom we called Grandma Jo.
be honest, none of us Renner kids liked Grandma Jo very much. She seemed old, wrinkled, and cranky — and when we were in their home, we had to sit on the couch like little statues, and we even got rebuked if we touched the coffee table in the middle of the room. Oh, how I loathed going to their home because we couldn’t move an inch the whole time we were there! However, Grandfather Miller was our real grandfather, and although Jo wasn’t my mother’s real mother, she was married to him. So we were bound to visit her whenever we saw our grandfather.
As I noted previously, one year when I was about five years old, I had sat still on the couch for so long that I just about couldn’t take it any longer. My patience was running out, and Grandma Jo was about to get the best of me. The only thing that kept me together was the thought that if we paid the painful price of motionless silence a little longer, eventually my sisters, Ronda and Lori, and I would receive Christmas gifts!
Finally, the moment came when Grandfather and Grandma Jo presented their gifts to us. I was so excited to see what kind of toy I would receive as a “reward” for enduring Jo’s impatience with us. But when I opened the package, it was a shirt! After sitting immobile on that couch for what seemed like forever, waiting and waiting to see what kind of toy I was going to receive, they gave me a shirt! I got so mad that, as my mother tells it, I threw the shirt at my grandparents and angrily told them to keep it. Of course, my parents were very embarrassed, and I received a strong correction that I still remember to this day!
This story brings to mind James 1:20, which says, “For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.” The word “wrath” is precisely what I expressed that Christmas afternoon when I threw that shirt back in the faces of my grandparents. It is the Greek word orges, and it depicts an angry impulse that grows out of proportion and is most often directed toward a person or persons. It is an explosive outbreak of anger — an outrageous, hostile display that usually results in someone’s feelings getting hurt. It is the picture of a person losing control of his emotions. This loss of control may be accompanied with ranting and raving or violent actions — just like when I threw the shirt back at my grandparents and rudely yelled, “Just keep it!”
James says that this type of behavior “worketh not” the righteousness of God.” The word “worketh” is ergadzomai, which means this type of wrathful behavior does not produce the righteous type of behavior God desires — which in my case would have sounded something like this: “It’s a beautiful shirt. Thank you so much.” But the whole day had been a difficult one for this young boy. Sitting motionless on the divan for hours, anticipating a toy as recompense for enduring the moment and then opening the box and seeing only a shirt — I just let my emotions go and exploded.
Before we left the house that day, I was taken into a bedroom, corrected for my behavior, and told to apologize and thank my grandparents for the beautiful shirt. It was difficult for me to do at the time, but I obeyed my parents. By the way, the next Christmas they gave me a marvelous toy that I kept for years and may even still have in storage!
I tell this story because we all are tempted to express displeasure when we are deeply disappointed, but violent explosions don’t produce the godly behavior God desires of us. Whenever we are feeling upset or disappointed and are tempted to just “let loose” and explode, we should find a place to retreat and be alone with God so we can process those negative emotions in His presence. He is always ready and available to stabilize us and help us bring our emotions back under control.
So I encourage you to make a conscious decision today to yield to the working of God’s Spirit in your life on a daily basis. As you do, you’ll find that your self-control grows as you draw more and more on His strength within you. And the next situation you encounter where your emotions are tested, you’ll find it easier to hold yourself steady on the inside and to respond in a way that brings pleasure and glory to Jesus! The next issue is holding on to wrongdoing not forgiving! Charity [agape love] suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil.
— 1 Corinthians 13:4,5
In First Corinthians 13:5, Paul continues his message about the agape love of God. The seventh characteristic he gives us is that this high-level love “…seeketh not her own….”
The word “seeketh” is the Greek word zeteo, which means to seek. However, it was also used to depict a person who is so upset about not getting what he wanted that he turns to the court system to sue or to demand what he is striving to obtain. Instead of taking no for an answer, this person is so intent on getting his own way that he will search, seek, and investigate, never giving up in his pursuit to get what he wants. In fact, he’s so bent on getting his way that he’ll twist the facts; look for loopholes; put words in other people’s mouths; try to hold others accountable for promises they never made; leap on administrative mistakes as opportunities to twist someone’s arm; or seek various other methods to turn situations to his benefit. This is manipulation!
There is no doubt that Paul had the image of a manipulating, scheming person in his mind when he wrote this verse. Have you ever met such a person? Have you ever encountered a man or woman who schemed and manipulated all the time to get what he or she wanted?
The point Paul makes here is that love is not scheming or manipulating, for this kind of behavior is dishonest and untruthful. Scheming and manipulating to get your own way is simply wrong! If you can’t honestly state what you think or what you want, then don’t say or do anything. Speaking half-truths and white lies or operating according to a secret agenda is not the way that agape love behaves.
The Greek words in this text could be understood to mean:
“…Love does not manipulate situations or scheme and devise methods that will twist situations to its own advantage.…”
After making this point, Paul then lists the eighth characteristic of agape love. He tells us that love “…is not easily provoked….”
The word “easily” does not appear in the original Greek, but it was later supplied by the King James translators. Some scholars have asserted it was injected into the King James Version because the translators of the day wanted to make a certain point to King James, who was famous for losing his temper and flying off the handle!
The Greek text has the word paroxsuno for the word “provoked.” It is a compound of para, meaning alongside, and oxsus, which means to poke, to prick, or to stick, as with a sharpened instrument. When compounded together, the new word portrays someone who comes alongside another and then begins to poke, prick, or stick that other person with some type of sharpened instrument. He continues to pick, poke, and stick until the victim becomes provoked. He’s finally had enough of this person’s relentless actions of picking, poking, and sticking, so he responds by violently and aggressively assaulting the offender. The result is a fight — a conflict of the most serious order.
We find the word paroxsunos used in this way in Acts 15:39, where Luke records information about a conflict that transpired between Paul and Barnabas. Barnabas wanted to take John Mark on the next journey, but Paul was against it because John Mark had already proven himself unfaithful on an earlier trip. As they debated the issue, the words they exchanged must have been very sharp. This is why Luke wrote, “And the contention was so sharp between them.…”
This is a translation of the word paroxsuno, letting us know that Paul and Barnabas came alongside each other in close debate and then began to poke, stick, prick, and jab each other with their words. The Greek language leaves no doubt that the conversation that ensued was extremely hot. In fact, this provocation was so severe that it disrupted their friendship and destroyed their partnership in ministry.
The word oxsus is also the Greek word for vinegar. I especially find this interesting because the word oxsus is the exact word for “vinegar” in the Russian language. The fact that this is the word for vinegar lets us know that the words Paul and Barnabas spoke to each other were stringent, sharp, severe, sour, tart, bitter, and acidy. These words were so bitter that it left a sour taste in their mouths and their memories. As a result of these harsh words, these two men who had served God together in the ministry separated: “…Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus; and Paul chose Silas, and departed…” (Acts 15:39,40).
I’m sure Paul remembers this experience very well as he warns believers everywhere that love is “…not easily provoked….” He speaks by experience when he tells us that this is not the behavior of love. Having reaped the consequences of losing his temper and saying regrettable, acidy words in a moment of conflict, Paul warns us that agape love does not behave in this fashion.
An interpretive translation of Paul’s words in First Corinthians 13:5 could read this way:
“…Love does not deliberately engage in actions or speak words that are so sharp, they cause an ugly or violent response.…”
Then Paul lists his ninth point about love, telling us that agape love “…thinketh no evil.” The Greek word for “thinketh” is logidzomai, which was an accounting term that would be better translated to count or to reckon. It literally meant to credit to someone’s account.
Before us is the image of a bookkeeper who meticulously keeps accurate financial records. But in this case, the bookkeeper is an offended person who keeps detailed records of every wrong that was ever done to him. Just as a bookkeeper has an entry for every debit and credit on the books, this person painstakingly stores in his memory all the mistakes, faults, grievances, disappointments, failures, or perceived wrongdoings that someone has made against him. Rather than forgive and let it go, the offended person has carefully maintained records of each action done to him that he deemed unjust or unfair.
This is certainly not the way love behaves! If you want to know how love behaves, look at the behavior of God toward you. Although God could drag up your past before you all the time, He doesn’t do that! In fact, after He forgave you (Psalm 103:3), God decided He wouldn’t deal with you according to your sins or reward you according to your iniquities (Psalm 103:10). Although He could remember your past mistakes if He chose to do so, God doesn’t and never will choose to remember them.
Psalm 103:12 says, “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” This means that God doesn’t keep records of your past forgiven sins! Once they are under the blood of Jesus, God separates them from you forever.
You see, that is how real agape love behaves. So if you are ever tempted to keep mental records of wrongs someone has done to you, be aware that you’re not giving to that person the same mercy God has given to you. Someone who has been forgiven as much as you have been forgiven has no right to keep a record of someone else’s mistakes!
Paul’s words “thinketh no evil” should actually be translated:
“…Love does not deliberately keep records of wrongs or past mistakes.”
Is there anyone you are holding hostage in your mind because of what you deemed to be an inappropriate action taken against you? If that person did wrong, it’s right for you to confront him in love. But once you have dealt with the matter, you need to release the offense and let it go — just as Jesus has released you from your past and is believing that you are now on the right track!
If you have a hard time releasing people from their past wrongs, it’s a sign that you need agape to be released in your life. The fact that you’re flipping back to that old record of wrongs again and again — bringing up past grievances that should have been forgiven and forgotten — means you are not perfected in love! Throw that diary away! Didn’t God throw away His diary about YOUR past?
When all these Greek words and phrases are translated together, an expanded interpretive translation could read:
“…Love doesn’t manipulate situations or scheme and devise methods that will twist situations to its own advantage; love does not deliberately engage in actions or speak words that are so sharp, they cause an ugly or violent response; love doesn’t deliberately keep records of wrongs or past mistakes.”
Well, how do you feel after looking into the mirror of First Corinthians 13:4-8 today? There are three more days to go as we delve deeply into the precious, Spirit-anointed words in this passage of Scripture. Don’t rush through these particular Sparkling Gems. As you read them, take the time to carefully digest them; take them deep into your heart and soul. God wants to change you, but before you can change, you must first recognize what needs to be fixed!
If God is speaking to your heart, don’t rush from this quiet time with Him too quickly. Stop everything you are doing, and make it your most important matter of business to get your heart right first with the Lord and then with others! The next word we will examine is unseemly! The Greek word for “unseemly” is aschemoneo, an old word that means to act in an unbecoming manner. It suggests a person who is tactless or thoughtless. It also expresses the notion of a person who is careless and inconsiderate of others. Both his actions and words tend to be rude and discourteous, and he exhibits bad manners in the way he deals with people. His language is harsh and brutal, revealing that this person is uncaring, insensitive, and unkind. In short, we would say that this is a person who “acts ugly.”
Because of the word “unseemly” in First Corinthians 13:5, it explicitly means that the Holy Spirit is telling us:
“Love is not rude and discourteous — it is not careless or thoughtless, nor does it carry on in a fashion that would be considered insensitive to others.…”
So how do you fare when you look into the mirror of God’s Word today? Do you pass the love test, or have you come up short again? If you see that you have fallen short of the high-level love God wants you to possess and exhibit in your life, it’s time for you to go back to the Lord and talk to Him about it again! Never stop going to Him until you know that you are walking continually in the high-level love He wants you to demonstrate in your life!
When all these Greek words and phrases are translated together, an expanded interpretive translation could be as follows:
“…Love doesn’t go around talking about itself all the time, constantly exaggerating and embellishing the facts to make it look more important in the sight of others; love does not behave in a prideful, arrogant, haughty, superior, snooty, snobbish, or clannish manner; love is not rude and discourteous — it is not careless or thoughtless, nor does it carry on in a fashion that would be considered insensitive to others….”
Is the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart? Is He showing you areas where you have:
If the answer is yes to any of these questions, it’s time for you to take immediate action! You need to spend some quality time with Jesus. Ask Him to forgive you, and let His blood cleanse you; then ask the Holy Spirit to start the process of transforming you into the image of Jesus. Don’t stop until you think, see, and act like Jesus Christ — every moment of every day! the next word is love doesn’t delight in evil
Have you ever secretly rejoiced when you heard that someone you didn’t like or someone you disapproved of had gotten into some kind of trouble? Upon hearing of that person’s difficulty or hardship, perhaps you were tempted to think, Serves him right! He deserves what he’s getting! After what he did to me and to so many others, he deserves a little punishment! If this describes you, let me tell you — this is not the way God’s love reacts to such situations!
There was once a man who seriously wronged our organization. What he did was so wrong that if the events concerning him had occurred in a Western nation, he would have been judged in a court of law and sentenced to prison for his actions. But because it was not in a Western nation and many complications existed in this case, all my wife and I could do was let it go and pray for God to deal with this individual. We knew if he didn’t repent, he would come under severe judgment. In the years since that event occurred, this man has come into many miserable hardships in his life. His children fell into terrible sin; he lost everything financially; and his reputation became stained because of the many things he had done to a whole host of people. When I first met this man, he went to church and had a ministry; the touch of God was on his life. But he became a mess of a man — one of the saddest stories I have ever personally known.
When this individual first began to fall into trouble, I found myself privately wanting to rejoice that judgment had finally come his way. Then the Holy Spirit convicted my heart, and I realized that rejoicing in this man’s trouble was not the way the love of God behaves. After allowing the Spirit of God to deal with my heart, I began to inwardly mourn over the condition of this man who had once been so mightily used by God.
In First Corinthians 13:6, Paul wrote that love “…rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth.” The phrase “rejoiceth not” comes from the Greek phrase ou chairei. The word ou means no or not, and the word chairei is from the word chairo, which is the Greek word for joy. It carries the idea of being glad about something. It is the picture of a person who is euphoric over something that has happened. Other words to describe chairo would be overjoyed, elated, ecstatic, exhilarated, thrilled, jubilant, or even rapturous. The word “iniquity” is the Greek word adikos, which conveys the idea of an injustice or something that is wrong or bad.
The entire phrase ou chairei could be translated in the following way:
“Love does not feel overjoyed when it sees an injustice done to someone else.…”
My secret desire to rejoice at this other individual’s hardships was completely contrary to the love nature of God. Even though this man had done wrong to me and to many others in the Christian community, the right response was to pray for his restoration. Real love simply doesn’t rejoice at someone else’s misfortunes.
Then Paul goes on to tell us that when someone else gains some kind of advantage in life that we have been desiring, love isn’t threatened by that person’s success but rather rejoices with his victory! The word “rejoice” is again the Greek word chairo, the same word used above.
This means the second part of this verse could be translated:
“…Love is elated, thrilled, ecstatic, and overjoyed with the truth.”
When you see other people blessed — perhaps receiving a blessing or special attention that you have longed to receive yourself — are you able to truly rejoice with them? Does it thrill you to know that other people are moving upward in life? Or does it threaten you and make you sad when you see someone else receiving a blessing you wished was yours?
How you respond to other people’s troubles and blessings reveals a great deal about your true level of spiritual maturity. So ask yourself:
It’s good to ask yourself these questions and to let the Holy Spirit deal with your heart about these issues. Why don’t you take a little time today to let God’s Spirit search your heart and show you if you can improve in these areas of love in your life? lastly love protects others finally love protects others !
The eleventh point that Paul makes in this wonderful text is that love “beareth all things….” The word “beareth” is the Greek word stego, which means to cover, as a roof covers a house. Built within the word stego is the concept of protection, exactly as a roof protects, shields, and guards the inhabitants of a house from exposure to the outside influences of weather. The roof of a house is designed to shield people from storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, rain, hail, snow, wind, blistering hot temperatures, and so on. This protection is vital for survival in most climates, preventing people from either freezing to death or burning as a result of continual exposure to sunlight.
By using this word stego (“bear”), the apostle Paul is giving us a powerful illustration. First, we must understand that there are many different seasons to life, and not all seasons are pleasurable. In fact, some seasons of life are very stormy and difficult. There are moments when external circumstances assail us from without. If we have no shield to guard us during these stormy times, it becomes much more difficult for us to survive spiritually.
Paul lets you know that agape serves like a protection for you. Like the roof of a house, a friend who moves in the agape love of God will stay near in times of trouble. That friend will hover over you to protect you from the storms of life. Rather than expose you and your flaws to the view of others, a person who operates in this kind of love will conceal, cover, and protect you, for real agape love is always there in times of trouble to lend support.
The phrase “beareth all things” could be translated:
“Love protects, shields, guards, covers, conceals, and safeguards people from exposure.…”
Paul goes on to mention the twelfth characteristic of agape love, saying that love “…believeth all things….” The word “believeth” is actually the word pisteuei, which is the Greek word meaning to put one’s faith or trust in something or someone. The tense used in the Greek text lets us know that this is a constant, continuous entrusting of one’s faith in something or someone — involving a “never-give-up” kind of belief that something will turn out the very best. In light of this, the Greek phrase could actually be taken to mean that love “believes the best in every situation.”
Don’t misunderstand; agape love isn’t stupid, nor is it blind. It sees everything — the good, the bad, and the ugly. But because agape is so filled with faith, it pushes the disconcerting, disturbing, negative realities out of the way. This doesn’t mean agape ignores problems or challenges. It just makes a choice to see beyond the problems and conflicts, to strain forward to see the highest potential that resides in every person.
Let’s apply this to your children. Perhaps it is true that they are having problems right now or that they have done some things in the past they shouldn’t have done. But there is still hope! Today is a new day, and agape simply cannot give up believing that they will turn around! Although the past may have been filled with troubled times, the future is bright for those who believe God! Therefore, agape continually presses ahead full of faith — reaching forward by faith to see the other person whole, sound, healed, saved, redeemed, and right in the middle of God’s will for his or her life.
You see, the agape love of God just doesn’t know how to quit! It hangs on even when the going gets tough! It just keeps believing the very best, no matter what.
So I urge you to take a good, honest look at yourself to see if you are operating in this kind of high-level love. Do you strain forward to believe the best, or do you pick people apart and point out all their flaws and weaknesses? Do you see their potential through the eyes of love, or do you look on them through eyes of criticism? Never forget that love believes the best!
The phrase “believeth all things” could be translated:
“…Love strains forward with all its might to believe the very best in every situation.…”
Paul gives us his thirteenth point about love when he says that love “…hopeth all things….” The Greek word for “hopeth” is the word elpidzo, which depicts not only a hope, but an expectation of good things. This means that rather than assuming failure or a bad result in someone’s life, the agape love of God always expects the best in someone else. It not only expects it, but it is filled with an anticipation to see the manifestation of the thing hoped for.
The phrase “hopeth all things” could be taken to mean:
“…Love always expects and anticipates the best in others and the best for others….”
Next, Paul mentions the fourteenth characteristic of agape love, telling us that love “…endureth all things.” The word “endureth” is the Greek word hupomeno, which we have discussed several times before. It is the word hupo, which means under, and the word meno, which means to stay or to abide. Compounded together, it depicts the attitude of a person who is under a heavy load but refuses to surrender to defeat because he knows he is in his place. Because this person knows he is where he’s supposed to be, he has therefore decided that regardless of what tries to come against him, he is going to stay put and refuse to move!
This means agape never quits or throws in the towel. It simply doesn’t know how to quit. Real agape says, “I’m committed to be here — to stay with you and to work it out, regardless of the cost or the time involved. I am not quitting. I am here to stay!”
You see, that is what the Bible means when it says love “…endureth all things.” This kind of love is completely contrary to the flesh, which says, “I’ve done all I’m going to do. I’m not wasting any more of my life. I’m finished, and I’m leaving!”
A contemporary translation of the phrase “endureth all things” could be the following:
“…Love never quits, never surrenders, and never gives up.”
As you look into the mirror of God’s Word and examine the characteristics of agape love, can you say that this kind of love is operating in your life? Would others say that you have been a “roof” for them — protecting, covering, concealing, and guarding them during the hard and difficult seasons of life? Would others say you believe the best about people, or that you tend to be nit-picky and critical of others? Have you made the decision to “stick it out,” regardless of how long it takes?
When all of these Greek words and phrases are translated together, an expanded interpretive translation could read:
“Love protects, shields, guards, covers, conceals, and safeguards people from exposure; love strains forward with all its might to believe the very best in every situation; love always expects and anticipates the best in others and the best for others; love never quits, never surrenders, and never gives up.”
Today I want to encourage you to do the right thing by determining to learn to operate in this high-level agape love of God. This divine love is already shed abroad in your heart by the Holy Spirit, so now it’s up to you to open up your heart and let this divine river of love flow forth from you to others.
Are you going to open your heart and let God’s love spill out to those around you? The choice is now before you!
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