1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Many years ago when I was in school, I remember learning about the story of John Landy. Landy was a long distance runner who was competing in the Australian National Championship in 1956. During the competition, the runner in the lead stumbled and fell and was quickly passed by all the other runners. As Landy passed, he decided to help up his fallen competitor and gave up his own chance to break the world record. Even after helping up the other runner, Landy still came from behind to win the race.
One of the memory verses that the pastoral team worked on last year was from 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. This famous passage talks about love, and has been used in countless weddings and ceremonies to explain what genuine love looks like. The verse that especially caught my attention this week were the last lines of the passage, the fact that love “always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
At Lifespring, one of the goals that we talk about as part of our discipleship is maturity. I personally like the term maturity. When we think about the meaning of maturity, it captures so many positive elements that it is nearly impossible to describe every one. A person who is mature has a developed sense of character. They make wise choices and exercise good judgment. The fruit of the Spirit is present in their lives. They are a person of discipline and steadfastness. They know what is true and stick to it. They are able to handle responsibility well. The list goes on. This one small term captures so much of what we aim for in our Christian journey.
But there is one element of maturity that 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 captures well. The end goal of maturity is not simply that we would have stable and comfortable lives where we’re able to take care of ourselves. Being mature is not primarily about looking respectable and honorable. Of course, those things come naturally with a well-developed sense of character.
A large part of being a mature follower of Jesus is so that we can help others in their own journeys. 1 Corinthians 13:7 talks about the fact that love always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres. But the verse is not primarily about protecting ourselves or hoping for ourselves, but about protecting, trusting, hoping, and persevering for others.
All of us at Lifespring have been richly blessed by God. But there are many around us who don’t know what it means to be protected, what it means to trust, how to have hope, or have lost the ability to persevere. It is in those moments that we are called to love others–to always protect, always trust, always hope, and always persevere on behalf of others. We are to stand in the gap for the people around us, showing them love in every way.
My prayer for Lifespring is that God would continue to lead us corporately and in our individual lives to those places where we can share the good things that God has given us. Where God has protected us, we can protect others. In areas where we have learned to trust God, may we bless others. When hope is lost, may we reach out and hope for others. Where people have lost their ability to press on, may we persevere for them. And in everything, may God’s love be clear to others, not for our benefit, but for His name’s sake.