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For Tuesday, October 21, 2014
“Love Does No Harm”
- Email: robert@thelightnetwork.tv
- Voicemail: 903-26-LIGHT (903-265-4448)
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Episode Transcript:
Today is October 21, 2014, and you’re listening to The New You, the daily broadcast for people who have been made new by the blood of Christ. Here is today’s Scripture:
Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law (Rom. 13:10).
We can’t discuss the issue of domestic violence without discussing the true meaning of love. It seems to me that one who is domestically abusive has forgotten what true love actually is. Romans 13:10 reminds us that love does no harm, that is, it doesn’t work evil, it only works good. Further, this verse reminds me that love is active, it reaches out to others. Paul says, “love does no harm to a neighbor.” You remember that Jesus taught us about our neighbors. A neighbor is anyone with whom we come in contact. We are to feel and to show love to everyone.
In his book Just-if-ied Never Sinned, Dan Winkler makes six observations from 1 Corinthians 13 about a love that does no harm. In dealing with others, love is …
… Kind, not avenging. The great “love chapter” says that “love suffers long and is kind” (1 Cor. 13:4). When it says that love “suffers long” it literally means that love is long in coming to anger. What about you? Does that describe you?
… Serving, not selfish. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 says that “love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up … does not seek its own.” That word “envy” means to covet, to be jealous toward. That’s not love. Love does not attract attention; that’s what “parade itself” means. It is “not puffed up,” which means that love is not arrogant or inflated. So, what about you? Does that describe you? Does that describe me?
… Patient, not quick-tempered. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 further states that “love … is not easily provoked” (according to the King James translation). The English Standard Version translates it this way: “love is not irritable.” The Greek word means to sharpen alongside, to exasperate, to stir. Love is not easily stirred; it is not quick-tempered. Does this describe you?
… Courteous, not crude. 1 Corinthians 13:5 says that love “does not behave rudely.” The word means to behave in an unbecoming manner. Love leads us to act like gentlemen or ladies. Does this describe you? Does this describe me?
… Godly, not lurid. Something is lurid that causes shock or disgust. Notice how love behaves: love “thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth” (1 Cor. 13:5-6). The word translated “thinks” in this text actually means to calculate, to innumerate. So, love does not calculate or innumerate evil. It doesn’t keep a record of wrongs. Further, love is not happy to see sin, it doesn’t rejoice in iniquity. Love chooses the truth. What about you? Does this describe you?
… Gracious, not suspicious. Love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor. 13:7). To bear is to protect and support. Belief entails trust. Hope includes encouragement. Endurance means that love gets along with others. Love is gracious. Love gives people the benefit of the doubt. What about you? Does this describe you?
Let’s wrap it up: If you went through 1 Corinthians 13 and replaced your name every time you read the word “love,” would you be reading an accurate description of yourself? To me, the love chapter is a very challenging chapter. The Holy Spirit did not reveal this information to us just so we could frame these verses and hang them on our wall to make us feel good. These verses are here to teach us how to deal with others. These verses teach us exactly what it means to do no harm to others.
Memory Verse: This week’s verse reminds us of the effectiveness and power of prayer. God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think! Amazing! Here’s Ephesians 3:20.
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us (Eph. 3:20).
The New You 10 Week Challenge for a Better Internet! Let’s work together to make the Internet a better place. Each week, I’ll give you a challenge, and I want to encourage you to take to social media with that challenge, followed by the hashtag #NewYouChallenge.
This week I want us to answer this question: What moves you most about the cross of Christ? So head over to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the like and compose a post which says, “What moves me the most about the cross of Christ is _____. #NewYouChallenge” This is week 4 of the 10 week challenge for a better Internet!
OUTRO:
Thanks for joining today me on The New You. New episodes of this broadcast are released each weekday, Monday through Friday, from The Light Network. Archives of this program, episode transcripts, and more Christian podcasts are available there, too, at thelightnetwork.tv.
To check out all of our content related to Domestic Violence Awareness Month, go to thelightnetwork.tv/stopviolence.
I welcome your questions, comments, or suggestions for the show! My email address is robert@thelightnetwork.tv and my voicemail number is 903-26-LIGHT, that’s 903-265-4448. I’d love to hear from you!
This is The New You, I’m Robert Hatfield, and I hope you have a great day!
