LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for July 18: How can I express love?

As Christians, we know love should be the guiding principle for all we do inside the church and every day, as we seek to follow Christ. We know we are to love one another. After all, the Bible says, “God is love” and we are supposed to be Spirit filled, God filled (1 John 4:8).

Shouldn’t it follow then that we are to be filled with love? We know all of this, but knowing and doing are two totally different things.

This lesson passage is about love as the foremost Christian virtue and as the guiding principle of all spiritual gifts. The emphasis is on expressing Christian love in the church. The lesson encourages adults to express Christian love in all they do in their churches.

The very word “love” conjures up all kinds of images. Most often, we think of romantic love like that between two Hollywood superstars on the movie screen or we think of familial love like that of a mother for her child. Sometimes we use the word “love” casually to describe how we feel about our favorite book, car or hobby.

Yet, we also use the word “love” to explain why we commit to spend the rest of our lives bound to another person in marriage.

These wide-ranging pictures of the word love beg the question: What does any of this have to do with the love the Apostle Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 13?
    
First, we need to admit that from the beginning, we run into problems with this word “love.” The English language only has one word for love, whereas the Greek has four. As a result, the love Paul talks about is difficult for us to describe utilizing just words. In addition, Paul’s extravagant description of love is so contrary to our typical behavior we may feel like 1 Corinthians 13 kind of love is totally out of our reach.    

But Paul’s description is not just an idealized image of love; it is the foremost Christian virtue which all our actions must be grounded in. Paul does not use adjectives in 1 Corinthians 13 to describe love. Instead, he uses verbs. This means that when it comes to love, talk is cheap.

The kind of love Paul describes goes beyond emotions or platitudes. It is an active kind of love. And like any spiritual discipline, it takes practice to learn to love as Paul describes. How do we learn to love? First, we begin by looking at the life of Jesus and doing our best to imitate him. Then, I think we also need to try and look at others with Jesus eyes, remembering that although they may not accept their birthright, each person we encounter is a child of God who is deeply loved by our Father.  

At my church, there is a gentleman who is mildly mentally retarded. When you encounter him, he talks about the same topics over and over again. He often corners church members following worship and talks for as long as they are willing to listen. One way, to deal with him is to duck into the bathroom each time, you see him coming. Another way is to remember that he is a child of God and deeply loved by our Father.

Over the years, I have tried to look into this man’s eyes and see Jesus in him. I have tried to discover what God loves about him. In the beginning, it was difficult. Then, slowly over time, I began to appreciate him, to joke with him and to get to know him. I am trying to learn to love him.

Sometimes he seems very self-centered, incapable of thinking of anyone else. Then, occasionally, he surprises you. Like the time when he told me that he was praying for my husband and me to get a baby, which meant he understood we were adopting and he cared about it. When he said this to me, like the Grinch in Whoville, my heart grew three sizes.

I cannot say that I never duck into the bathroom anymore when I see him coming, but I have grown fond of him and I am trying to love him.

So, how do we learn to love? We have to practice, every day. My guess is that there is someone in your life, like this man, a person who tries your patience and gets on your nerves. From now on, instead of avoiding them, try to see Jesus in them. Remember they are deeply loved by God and then, work to love them.

This passage indicates love is one of the few things in life that is eternal. Our homes, our vocations, our degrees, our money and our awards will all pass away. But investments that we make in love somehow remain. Love is the language of heaven.

We can be grateful that we have the opportunity to learn how to love well here on earth and know that our skills in this area will carry into eternity. This means that learning to love well here is like learning a foreign language before you relocate to that country. The more progress we make on earth, the better equipped we will be for living with Christ in eternity.

Paul’s discourse on love is not just a handy wedding text; it is a call to a particular way of life. We are called to embody the love that Jesus demonstrates in his life and also in his death on the cross. Thus, learning to live in love with one another is one of our chief assignments here on earth.