LOVE (What’s It?) part two
Out of the mouths of babes….
(…continued from the 1st part) In verse 5 of 1Corinthians 13, we have ‘behave itself unseemly’, aschēmoneō (as-kay-mon-eh’-o) is: ‘to be (that is, act) unbecoming’. ‘Seeketh not her own’ means ‘does not engage in things that would not be for the common good’. ‘Easily provoked’ is paroxunō (par-ox-oo’-no): ‘to sharpen’ i.e. (allow a sharp, rapid, acid anger in you). ‘Thinketh’, logizomai (log-id’-zom-ahee): ‘to take an inventory, that is, estimate (literally or figuratively)’. ‘Evil’ is kakos meaning: ‘worthless, injurious, depravity’.
”Thinketh no evil’ means, according to Clark’s Commentary, “Believes no evil where no evil seems”. From Jamieson, Fausset & Brown’s Commentary, “imputeth not evil [ALFORD]; literally, “the evil” which actually is there (Pro 10:12; 1Pe 4:8 (refs2)). Love makes allowances for the falls of others, and is ready to put on them a charitable construction. Love, so far from devising evil against another, excuses “the evil” which another inflicts on her [ESTIUS]; doth not meditate upon evil inflicted by another [BENGEL]; and in doubtful cases, takes the more charitable view [GROTIUS]”. And I concur with an, “Amen!”
Verse 6 says, ‘Rejoiceth not in iniquity’, because love will rather exult the verity and the truth but frown at falsehood. ‘Love’ in verse 7 covers, endures, all afflictions, without complaining. Believes all that are not palpably false. Hopes for the better even when others are tired of hoping. Endures patiently to the end. Verse 8 has ‘never’ oudepote (oo-dep’-ot-eh) ‘not even at any time, that is, never at all,’ and ‘faileth’, ekpiptō (ek-pip’-to) ‘to drop away; specifically be driven out of one’s course; figuratively to lose, become inefficient’. Love will never go out of fashion. It is truly eternal. Reverend Chris Okotie, in a teaching of his, said, “If you ask me the definition of God, I’ll tell you it is simply ‘love’.” How absolutely concise and very correct you are, my dear Pastor! One can only access this agapē of God when it is channelled through the energy of the Holy Spirit via an experiential knowledge of Jesus, the anointing Anointed.
Jesus exhibited the spirit of longsuffering when He patiently taught His disciples to fit into the Kingdom of God that was at hand. Kindness of agapē drove Him to heal the blind man who had spent years beside the Bethesda pool, and for which same reason He fed about 18,000 people who attended His crusade. I just do not see why He will harbour any recourse to envy anybody, being the Creator of all in existence. Those who have attained the spiritual maturity should not for any reason wrap themselves at any point in time in the toga of jealousy. When you read where Jesus says, “Verily, verily I tell you…” He is pointedly making an intimation of the fact that He is not a braggart. God vaunteth not. Jesus is so humble you hardly see any marked difference when found in the midst of His disciples. He never puffed Himself up.
The gentleman in Jesus would not permit Him to take steps of unbecomingness. Whatever Jesus sought for Himself was definitely for the common good of all. Selflessly, Jesus died for all sinners. Knowing what was at stake, Jesus did not allow the acidity of the provocative anger to burn Him out, enduring the grueling, sanguinary death of the cross. “Then said Jesus,” in Luke 23:34, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do…” in order to perfect ‘thinketh no evil’ thereby imputing no evil on His captors; a classic proof of a genuine adorable Lover.
The Lord Jesus did not praise their business acumen at money changing, neither did He extol Judas’ business venture. He overturn the table, whipped them because, “ye have made it a den of thieves”, reminding them, “My house shall be called the house of prayer;” [Matthew 21:13]; and told him in Matthew 26:24, “The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It had been good for that man if he had not been born”.
He swallowed death, stopping it from taking me to hell.
Twelve things do distinguish love. Twelve is the number of our Lord Jesus. One man of God defines agapē thus: “A love called out of the heart of the lover on account of the value the lover has placed on the object of his love”. It is truly a commitment: to take care of another person. Love, from my exegesis, is really not, “what’s it?” It is should actually be “who is it?” because Love is a Personage. The Lord Jesus epitomizes all what love is. Praise the Lord!
Concluded
Read part one by clicking here
Read it from God’s protocol: the Bible
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