Bible League: Living His Word Love is never happy when others do wrong, but it is always happy with the truth.Love is central to the Christian life. In Christ, our lives are meant to be lives of love. When Jesus was asked what is the greatest commandment He replied, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments"' (Matthew 22:37-40). In I Corinthians 13 the Apostle Paul fleshes out what it means to live the life of love. Since all the law and the prophets hang on the two love commandments, since every other law and moral principle in the Bible are examples of how to love, this was no easy task. Paul's approach is to give us some idea of what it means by providing us with a list of characteristics. Our verse for today includes two of them. First of all, love is not happy when people do wrong. That is, love hates injustice. All of us know what it is like to be treated badly and none of us like it. It is unfair and it hurts. People filled with love for God and other people won't just ignore it when they see injustices around them. In so far as they are responsible and able, they will do what they can to remedy the situation. It may amount to nothing more than calling the police or informing the proper authorities, but it will be the right thing to do. Second, love is always happy with the truth. That is, love is happy when that which is just and true prevails. We live in a world where injustices and the deceptions that mask them are common. When the injustices are righted and the deceptions are exposed, people of love rejoice. Indeed, people of love do what they can to right the injustices and reveal the truth. Clearly, we cannot be the solution to every difficulty in this area, but we will do what we can. The life of love is a life of righteousness and justice. Live the life of love and God will not fail to reward you, for the Lord blesses the righteous and surrounds them with His favor (Psalm 5:12). Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingJeremiah 11, 12, 13 Jeremiah 11 -- Jeremiah Proclaims God's Covenant Is Broken; The Plot against Jeremiah NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Jeremiah 12 -- Jeremiah's Complaint and God's Answer NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Jeremiah 13 -- The Linen Belt and Wineskins; The Threat of Captivity NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading 1 Timothy 4 1 Timothy 4 -- Some Will Abandon the Faith NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.Insight The affects of alcohol are obvious, but what happens when we are under the influence of the Holy Spirit? In these verses, Paul lists three by-products of the Spirit's influence in our lives: singing, making music, and giving thanks. Paul did not intend to suggest that believers only discuss religious matters, but that whatever we do or say should be permeated with an attitude of joy, thankfulness to God, and encouragement of others. Challenge Instead of whining and complaining—which our culture has raised to an art form—we are to focus on the goodness of God and his mercies toward us. How would others characterize your words and attitudes? Morning and Evening by Spurgeon John 13:5 He began to wash the disciples' feet.The Lord Jesus loves his people so much, that every day he is still doing for them much that is analogous to washing their soiled feet. Their poorest actions he accepts; their deepest sorrow he feels; their slenderest wish he hears, and their every transgression he forgives. He is still their servant as well as their Friend and Master. He not only performs majestic deeds for them, as wearing the mitre on his brow, and the precious jewels glittering on his breastplate, and standing up to plead for them, but humbly, patiently, he yet goes about among his people with the basin and the towel. He does this when he puts away from us day by day our constant infirmities and sins. Last night, when you bowed the knee, you mournfully confessed that much of your conduct was not worthy of your profession; and even tonight, you must mourn afresh that you have fallen again into the selfsame folly and sin from which special grace delivered you long ago; and yet Jesus will have great patience with you; he will hear your confession of sin; he will say, "I will, be thou clean;" he will again apply the blood of sprinkling, and speak peace to your conscience, and remove every spot. It is a great act of eternal love when Christ once for all absolves the sinner, and puts him into the family of God; but what condescending patience there is when the Saviour with much long-suffering bears the oft recurring follies of his wayward disciple; day by day, and hour by hour, washing away the multiplied transgressions of his erring but yet beloved child! To dry up a flood of rebellion is something marvellous, but to endure the constant dropping of repeated offences--to bear with a perpetual trying of patience, this is divine indeed! While we find comfort and peace in our Lord's daily cleansing, its legitimate influence upon us will be to increase our watchfulness, and quicken our desire for holiness. Is it so? Daily Light on the Daily Path Isaiah 41:17 "The afflicted and needy are seeking water, but there is none, And their tongue is parched with thirst; I, the LORD, will answer them Myself, As the God of Israel I will not forsake them.Psalm 4:6 Many are saying, "Who will show us any good?" Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O LORD! Ecclesiastes 2:22,23,17 For what does a man get in all his labor and in his striving with which he labors under the sun? • Because all his days his task is painful and grievous; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is vanity. • So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was grievous to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind. Jeremiah 2:13 "For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns That can hold no water. John 6:37 "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. Isaiah 44:3 For I will pour out water on the thirsty land And streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring And My blessing on your descendants; Matthew 5:6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Psalm 63:1 A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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