What love does and does not

Verse 4

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up

Charity suffereth long

Love is patient. The two Greek words translated as patience: are makrothymia (Heb. 6:12; James 5:10) and hypomone (Matt 18:26, 29).

Makrothymia, which is also translated longsuffering, generally expresses patience with regard to people. It is a quality of God (Rom 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9) and is listed as one of the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22).

Love can endure evil, hurt, injury, and provocation, without becoming bitter, angry, and resentful. Patient love bears for long and does not seek revenge.

Patient love doesn’t strike first and seek peaceful solution later. It doesn’t return fire for fire. It sees no wisdom in exchanging bullet for bullet.

Eph 4:2

With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love

1 Thess. 5:14

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.

The second word, hypomone, generally expresses patience with regard to things and may be described as the quality that enables a person to endure suffering for the kingdom of God.

Romans 12:12

Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer

When we are walking in love, we are willing to suffer patiently for the kingdom of God, knowing that our fellow human beings and our brethren in the Lord are benefitting in some ways.

For example, I have to suffer patiently in my work for the Lord through the Internet. I sit behind my laptop for many hours at a time – for as long as fifteen hours, at times - to produce Christian articles and divine messages for my site, www.ucevam.com, and for several other Christian blogs. Since I don’t get paid for my work, financial suffering becomes necessary.

When I began to feel discouraged, the Spirit of God directed me to my web stats. When I saw that thousands of people from all parts of the world were reading and getting blessed every month by these messages, I got more determined to work harder in this area for the Lord.

The many dear souls from many parts of the world who are getting blessed by what I produce make my suffering to produce them worthwhile. Because I love and care for them I couldn’t say, “So what! They are getting blessed but what’s in it for me? What am I getting out of my sweat? Where is the gain of the money and time I am spending on the Internet Ministry?”

Charity is kind

A Christian who is walking in love willingly does things for others to show he is interested in their happiness and feelings. He is ready to help others, serve others, and be useful to others; to ensure their well being, comfort, safety and progress.

Eph. 4:32

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

1John 3:17

But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

Children of God who have this world's good should be ready to help their fellow Christians with what they have, because of their love (for the brethren) which is founded upon their love to God.

Proverbs 10:12

Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.

1Peter 4:8

And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

There are those who say, “God does not want sins to be hidden…” (even those confessed to God and repented of). “He wants all sins to be uncovered and exposed.”

The curious thing is that those who make this assertion are usually those who are guiltier before God than the people whose sins they insist must be exposed.  They twist the truth and stretch the fact, they blow up other people’s mistakes and wrap up theirs, they spread rumors that blacken other people’s character while they make tremendous efforts to nip in the bud any contrary rumor about them.

Would these people agree that their sins be projected on a large screen for all to see - sinful thoughts, their acts of unkindness, their acts of pretended holiness, their ill motives, their secret pride, their malice and the hidden agendas behind some of their religious or praiseworthy activities?

A Christian who has a kind, loving heart will hide the faults of other fellow Christians and draw a veil over their sins, instead of raking out and exposing the sins that lie covered and concealed by the blood of Jesus.

Any Christian who thinks that the Bible or the Holy Spirit gives him the authority to rake up and expose the faults or sins of other Christians, who are not hypocrites, so that they may be despised and held to ridicule, is being deceived and is bringing himself under the judgment of God.