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How many times do we envy what someone else has? How come they have such a loving family? How come I can’t speak like that in public? How come I didn’t get that promotion?

  • The list goes on and on in our minds.
  • We get offended with God.
  • How come God blesses others and not me?

The key is to see what Jesus is doing and not what He isn’t. We will be happy if we don’t get offended with Him. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love is happy with what it has.

God is love. He shows us the way to love.

Love does not envy or boast[1]

1 Corinthians 13:4

I must confess that I am not the best at this. I am challenged on many days. Let’s dig in. There is much to learn on how to love.

The Greek word here is ἀγάπη agape. The Greek word agape is often translated “love” in the New Testament.

How is “agape love” different from other types of love? The essence of agape love is goodwill, benevolence, and willful delight in the object of love. Unlike our English word love, agape is not used in the New Testament to refer to romantic or sexual love.

It does not refer to close friendship or brotherly love”, for which the Greek word philia is used. Agape love involves faithfulness, commitment, and an act of the will. It is distinguished from the other types of love by its lofty moral nature and strong character

  • Matthew 22:37–39 — 37 And He said to him, “You shall love the Master your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 “This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 “The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
  • Romans 13:9–10 — 9 For this, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
  • Galatians 5:6 — 6 For in the Messiah Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.
  • Ephesians 3:17–19 — 17 so that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of the Messiah which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
  • Colossians 3:14 — 14 Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.
  • 2 Peter 1:7 — 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.
  • 1 Corinthians 12:31–13:3 — 31 But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I show you a still more excellent way. 1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
  • 1 John 2:10 — 10 The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him.
  • 1 Corinthians 13:13 — 13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (1 Co 13:4). (2016). Crossway Bibles.

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