CHRISTIAN LOVE – “DOES NOT,” “IS NOT” AND “THINKS NOT”

Christian love is no less a walk, on the thinnest and sharpest razor’s edge. The Bible does not give us, any room to wiggle around, in regards to love. No wonder the road we are called to walk upon is called, the “narrow way” – it is straight and narrow…no space to walk around, except, go forward.

Let us continue to meditate on 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, and see, what more is there for us to learn, this morning.
– “4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” – 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Let us look at the following the three dimensions – “DOES NOT,” “IS NOT” AND “THINKS NOT” – of Christian love, found in verse five, as we continue from where we left yesterday.
– “Love…does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil…”

LOVE DOES NOT SEEK ITS OWN
Love, as the LORD describes, defines and demonstrates, is a love, that puts others, and their needs, first. Such love doesn’t think much about the self, nor its interests. The LORD demonstrated for us, what love is all about, in and through the LORD Jesus Christ.
– “3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,” – Philippians 2:3-5

LOVE IS NOT PROVOKED
Every human relationship has its own share of ups and downs. Every relationship has its fair share of disagreements, and disappointments. This is normal and natural, and there is nothing unusual about it. The love that the Bible talks about, is a love, that does not get provoked, nor does it respond in a manner that is, not in line with its character, as demonstrated by God Himself, towards sinful and wicked people like us.
– “6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:6-8

LOVE THINKS NO EVIL
Love and evil thinking are never compatible. They can never be on the same side, if love is truly what it is, as the Word of God describes and defines it. Therefore, love can never ever think evil about the person, or the people, whom it claims to love. This is an improbable and impossible situation, to say the least. If we truly love someone, we can never ever think evil about that person. Even if that person has harmed us, still we would love them, though we might be hurting, and in pain. This is love, as the LORD demonstrated for us on the cross of Calvary.
– “34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”…” – Luke 23:34
– “43 “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” – Matthew 5:43-48

Let us look into our hearts this morning, to see, what kind of love resides in it. Does the love we have in our hearts, has these three traits? – LOVE DOES NOT SEEK ITS OWN, LOVE IS NOT PROVOKED and LOVE THINKS NO EVIL.
– “7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us…19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.” – 1 John 4:7-12;19-21
Even so the LORD help us to love like how He loves.