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Pathways Through Paul
Daily Devotional
August 16
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Today's Pathway:
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Today we will continue with Paul's definition of Biblical love. The next thing that he lists that love does not do is "behave itself unseemly". The Greek word literally means to be contrary to that which is proper. Albert Barnes wrote,
"Love seeks that which is proper or becoming in the circumstances and relations of life in which we are placed. It prompts to the due respect for superiors, producing veneration and respect for their opinions; and it prompts to a proper regard for inferiors, not despising their rank, their poverty, their dress, their dwellings, their pleasures, their views of happiness; it prompts to the due observance of all the relations of life, as those of a husband, wife, parent, child, brother, sister, son, daughter, and produces a proper conduct and deportment in all these relations. The proper idea of the phrase is: that it prompts to all that is fit and becoming in life; and would save from all that is unfit and unbecoming."
This kind of love was certainly lacking in the Corinthian church. They were allowing immorality (chapter 5); they were taking each other to court (chapter 6); they were unconcerned about offending their weaker brethren (chapter 8); they were mistreating the poor (chapter 11); and they were disrupting the church services (chapter 14). None of these activities were based on love: all were predicated upon selfishness and pride.
"Seeketh not her own" means that the truly loving person does not require that he get his own way all the time. Alan Redpath wrote,
"The secret of every discord in Christian homes, communities and churches is that we seek our own way and our own glory."
Paul addressed this in Philippians 2:3-4 when he wrote,
"Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others."
He added to that in verse 5 that this type of thinking was the way that Christ thought, which ought to be the standard for how believers should think. There are sometimes folks in a church who demand that everything be done the way they want it to be done, and if their way is not chosen they make the lives of everyone around them miserable. I personally had a man tell me many years ago that unless a much-needed major church project was done to his specifications he would not allow any of his money to be used to help to finance it. There is no place for this prideful, self-centered type of thinking in the church, or the home, or anywhere else.
Next, Paul writes that Biblical love is not "easily provoked". The idea here is that love doesn't get angry or exasperated easily. Again, Albert Barnes wrote that this expression conveys,
"the idea that he who is under the influence of love, though he may be provoked--that is, injured--or though there might be incitements to anger, yet that he would not be roused, or readily give way to it. The meaning of the phrase in the Greek is, that a man who is under the influence of love is not prone to violent anger or exasperation; it is not his character to be hasty, excited, or passionate. He is calm, serious, and patient. He looks soberly at things; and though he may be injured yet he governs his passions, restrains his temper, subdues his feelings."
Proverbs 29:2 warns us that,
"an angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression."
"Strife" and "transgression" are not the actions of a loving person, and thus anger that causes them must be controlled. And the thing that will control it is love.
Today we have seen three more characteristics of Biblical love. How does your "love life" compare to God's standard?
Pastor Mark J Montgomery
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