Real Love - Pt. 2

 

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. (1 Corinthians 13:4-10 ESV).

 

Yesterday we saw that true love trusts; today, we see true love hopes. I read a story telling the tale of a young man who grows up as the terror of his neighborhood. He steals and lies. People can’t stand him. In his teens he starts to deal drugs. People at school write him off. The police discover he’s a skilled criminal and he is ultimately sent to prison. As is often the case, the news media in following the story did an interview with the mother of the convicted young man. When interviewed, she said, “He was always such a good boy.” She even added wistfully, “If the governor released him today, he’d be a help in the neighborhood tomorrow.” It makes for a great story, though many times the story doesn’t end with a happy ending.

 

In the Bible hope is always grounded in the strength and power and grace of God. That can make a difference, even in the life of a hardened criminal. The city of Corinth was a large city, with a culture of evil and immoral practices. In fact, to call a man a Corinthian was considered the highest insult of their character and value. Their parties were orgies and their daily practices were simply evil. When the Apostle Paul went into Corinth and preached “Christ crucified” (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:23), many laughed and went back to their revelry. Some, however, listened and believed. Ultimately they form one of the strongest communities of faith in the territory.

 

Here’s the lesson for us today. While we are often tempted to give up on people, God never gives up on His chosen. No matter what we’ve done, or left undone, His love is eternal. Real love always hopes for its neighbor, its coworker, its child, even for itself. It hopes because it is of God. I wonder if there’s not someone in your life that you have been tempted to give up on? I hope you can reconsider your position. Apply yourself in prayer for them. Use grace in your judgment of them. Of course, I am not suggesting that you enable their bad behavior further. However, I have often seen the transformational power of a love that continues to hope. Remember, while the end of the story is written, it is not yet published. We simply don’t know what God is yet to do in anyone’s life. Love hopes!