DAY #110: 1 Corinthians 13:4

BACKGROUND:

Because love is so important among the believers, Paul described that love in more detail. How does such love look when lived out in the lives of believers? First of all, love is patient, the opposite of being short-tempered. Patience (sometimes translated “long-suffering” or “slow to anger”) is an attribute of God (Exodus 34:6; Numbers 14:18; Romans 2:4; 1 Peter 3:20). In many places, God’s people are called upon to be patient (Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:14). Patience is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). Such love bears with certain annoyances or inconveniences without complaint. It does not lose its temper when provoked. It steadily perseveres.


Love is also kind. Kindness takes the initiative in responding generously to others’ needs. The psalms and writings of the prophets say much about God’s kindness (Psalm 18:50; Isaiah 54:8; Jeremiah 9:24). Because believers have received kindness, they ought to act with kindness toward others. Such love is considerate and helpful to others. Kind love is gentle and mild, always ready to show compassion, especially to those in need.


Love is not jealous. The jealous person desires what another person has. This seems to have been a particular problem in Corinth—those with “lesser” gifts envied those with “greater” gifts. The seed of envy can lead to seething anger and hatred. Those who are too busy envying each other’s gifts are unlikely to be using their own gifts in loving service to God and others. When there is love, believers will gladly use whatever gifts they have been given to work together for the advance of God’s Kingdom. They will be glad that others have different gifts so that the entire job can get done.


Love is not boastful or proud. While some believers may have a problem with envy, those with the “greater” gifts might have a problem with boasting or pride. Again, it seems that this may have been a problem in Corinth. While some pride can be positive, this kind of pride takes credit for an undeserved gift. Gifted believers who are caught up in pride and boasting over their gifts are unable to serve. Without love, they may feel that by using their gifts, they are doing someone a favor, that others should be grateful to them, and that they are far superior.



SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)

Titus 2:1, n the NJB says “It is for you, then, to preach the behavior which goes with healthy doctrine.” The NIV says “You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine.”

What does that mean? That God has mandated – commanded – God expects and demands that the church to teach His people how to live. That's what we try and do each and every day and week here at COV.


1 Corinthians 13:4 –it says “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.” Today, I want to focus in on kindness.

What is kindness? Kindness is love in action. Yesterday, said love is not a feeling. It is something you do. Love produces feelings, in fact, enormous emotions. But love is not a feeling; it is an action. The Bible says that love is kindness in action.


Jesus once told a story to illustrate this truth. It’s the story of the Good Samaritan. Jesus illustrates that the three men in this story represent your three choices in life, when it comes to showing kindness. You’re going to go through life with one of three attitudes toward the people around you, particularly the people in pain.


The first attitude is what I call the Keep My Distance attitude. Luke 10:30-31 says this: “There was a man going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when robbers attacked him, stripped him, beat him up and left him half dead. It so happened that a priest was going down that road. But when he saw the man he walked on by the other side.”


This attitude says - don’t ever get close to people because they might ask you for help. Don’t ever get close to people because you might be needed by them. Keep your distance. Keep all your relationships superficial. Keep them shallow. Keep people at an arm’s length. Think about it - this guy’s walking down the road. He sees a guy who’s been beaten, mugged, left for dead on the side of the road, and he says, I'll just keep my distance and go on my business on the other side of the road. Is that us?


The second attitude is what I call the Curious but Uninvolved. Luke 10:32 says, “In the same way a Levite also came there.” Now folks, a Levite was not a jeans salesman. He was a temple assistant. “He went over, looked at the man and then walked on by on the other side.” This guy’s even worse. He walks over across the street, sees this guy victimized, laying there, beaten half dead, naked, bleeding to death, looks at him – stares at him – walks back to the other side and keeps on walking.


Curious but uninvolved. Have you noticed it’s a lot easier to gossip about people’s problems than it is to help them with it? We love to talk about other people’s problems, we love to discuss other people’s problems, we love to read about other people’s problems, but we don’t want to do anything about it. Curious but Uninvolved. Aware but apathetic.


The third response is the response of the Good Samaritan. Treat Others How I Want to be Treated. Luke 10: 33 says “A Samaritan who was traveling that way came upon the man and when he saw him his heart was filled with pity.” If you want to grow in love – and that’s what we’re talking about these 50 days – then you’re going to have to learn the lifestyle of kindness.

This Good Samaritan did four things that I need to do, that you need to do, if we’re going to learn to be kinder, loving people. If you want to become a kinder person, a great lover of people...

#1. START SEEING the needs of people around me.

Kindness starts with your eyes. If you’re not aware of needs, you can’t care about those needs. You have to see the need first. The Bible says in Luke 10:33, “When he saw the man’s condition, his heart went out to him.” That is the starting point. If you want to learn to become a more kind person, you’ve got to change the way you look at the world. You’ve got to expand your vision, you’ve got to become more observant of the needs around you, be more sensitive.

1 Corinthians 10:24(CEV) says this: “Look out for the good of others.” The first step to kindness is to ask God to give you spiritual radar, that you would be on the lookout for people in need around you who are hurting emotionally, spiritually, physically and in any other way. Those who need help. Those who need encouragement. Those who need concern. Those who need a pat on the back. Write this phrase down: see a need – meet a need. Put that one liner into practice, and it will change your world!

#2. The second thing the Good Samaritan did was sympathize with people’s pain.

It’s not enough to just see their need, you must sympathize with their pain. The Bible says this in Luke 10:33, “When he saw him, his heart was filled with pity.” First, his eyes kicked in. Then his ears and his heart kicked in, and he’s filled with pity –sympathy. If you’re like me, you need to ask - how do I increase my ability to be a more sensitive and more sympathetic person?


If sensitivity begins with your eyes, sympathy begins with your ears. It’s learning to listen. Learning to listen is the secret of genuine sympathy. The better listener you become, the more sympathetic you become. Sometimes kindness is just listening.


Joe Bailey wrote a book on grief, on losing a loved one. He called it A View From the Hearse. He says this from his experience: “I was sitting, torn by grief, and somebody came along and talked to me about God's dealings of why it happened, of hope beyond the grave. He talked constantly. He said things I knew were true. But I was unmoved, except to wish that he would go away. And he finally did. Then another one came and sat beside me, and he didn’t talk at all. He didn’t ask me any leading questions. He just sat beside me for an hour or more, listened when I said something , answered briefly, prayed simply and left. I was moved. I was comforted. I hated to see him go.”

The Bible says it like this: “Share each other’s troubles and problems and in this way obey the law of Christ.” Another one-liner – if you care, you’ll hear others share.


#3. Seize the moment to be kind.

Seize the moment to be kind. Don’t wait. Don’t delay. Don’t procrastinate. Do what you can at that very moment. This is the third thing that the Good Samaritan did.

Luke 10:34 says “Kneeling beside him the Samaritan soothed his wounds with medicine and bandaged them.” He took action. As we said last week: Love is something you do. He didn’t just say, “I’m sorry for this guy. Isn’t it a shame? Isn’t that too bad?” He actually did something.


Proverbs 3:27-28 says, “Never walk away from some one who deserves help. Your hand is God's hand for that person. Never tell your neighbors to wait until tomorrow if you can help them now.” Never walk away from somebody who deserves your help.


Folks, the world is full of wounded. On the very row you’re on, there are wounded people. I wonder how many people in your life you walk around with who are wounded – the walking wounded. They may not be wounded physically, but they’re wounded emotionally. They’re wounded spiritually. They’re wounded relationally. They’re wounded financially. And they need your love.

They need your kindness. Don’t wait for better conditions to help them - don’t say, “I'll call them in a few days.” You do it now.

If you want to become a kind person, the fourth thing you need to do and the fourth thing the Good Samaritan did ...
#4. Spend whatever it takes.

Start seeing the needs of others, sympathize with their pain, seize the moment to be kind and spend whatever it takes. There is always a cost to kindness. There is always a price tag. It inevitably causes you to sacrifice time or money or energy or reputation or something. Privacy maybe, to sacrifice that. It costs to be kind. (might want to write that one-liner down)

In Luke 10:34-35, it says, “Then the man [the Good Samaritan] put the man on his own donkey and he took him to an inn where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two pieces of silver [These were denari, which were about two months worth of wages.] and he told him to take care of the man. ‘If his bill runs higher than that,’ he said, ‘I’ll pay the difference the next time I’m here.”


This guy did all he could to take care of a total stranger. First, he ministers to him, administers first aid at the scene of the crime. He then takes him to a motel. He puts him on his donkey, which by the way means that he walked. So he had to walk the 20 miles to Jericho because he put a hurting man on his donkey. He gets him to a motel. He checks him in. He nurses him through the night. He provides for his care. And then he pays the bill. Then he says, By the way, I'll be back this way in a little while, put it on my tab and we’ll put it on my American Express. This guy did whatever he could to help, whatever it takes.


What did he gain from this? Nothing. He didn’t even know this guy. He’s a total stranger. He gains nothing back from him. Kindness is when you do something for somebody without expecting anything back. So why be kind? Why should I be kind if people aren’t always going to repay me?


Isaiah 58:10-11 says, “If you feed the hungry and take care of the needs of those who are troubled, then your light will shine in the dark and the Lord will always lead you and He’ll satisfy your needs in dry land. And you’ll be like a spring that never runs dry.”


God says this: “When you assume responsibility for the needs of hurting people around you,” God says, “I guarantee to meet your needs.” What a deal! You can’t beat that. He says, “I'll lead you, I'll bless you, I'll take care of your needs.”

Who do you need to be kind to today - this week? I love you guys. Stay faithful. Stay the course.