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In Philippians 3:18, Paul warns the Philippian Christians about people who “walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.” What type of people are these enemies? Verse 19 describes them with these words, “Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.”

That description is not far off from much of modern society’s focus. “Their god is their belly” refers to people who place physical satisfaction and pleasure above all else. “They glory in their shame” describes people who not only commit sin but are proud of it. Perhaps most pervasive of all are those who simply set their minds on earthly things—those who are more concerned about the things of this life instead of things that pertain to their heavenly citizenship. Do any of those descriptions fit you or me? If so, we ought to take heed and change lest we find ourselves at enmity with the Lord!

How dedicated are we to God’s Word? Many people look at the Bible as nothing but an antiquated collection of religious thought. Sadly, many professing Christians reject or at least dismiss the importance of the Bible. But Scripture is still God’s inspired Word, and it is vital that we have it before us always.

When the Apostle Paul wrapped up his first letter to the Thessalonians, he admonished them: “I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.”[1]The seriousness of this task is underscored by Paul’s charge of “putting them under oath.” This was not a suggestion—it was a command. God’s people must have God’s Word before their eyes and in their hearts. Each Christian should take the responsibility of reading and learning God’s Word seriously. And Christian leaders should commit to doing all they can to persistently and faithfully ensure God’s Word is read and taught to others.

[1] 1 Thessalonians 5:27)

Is how we treat other people important? We might think that if we are right with God, our relationships with others are not important. After all, Jesus taught that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. But can we love God without loving our fellow man? No. Jesus taught the second great commandment was to love our neighbor as ourselves. And when we mistreat our fellow man, we don’t just sin against our neighbor; we sin against God.

Sodom is well known by Bible students as a wicked city. Sodom’s immorality is seen in Genesis 19. Ezekiel says Sodom did not care for the poor and needy. But Genesis 13:13 says, “Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord.” When we mistreat or neglect our fellow man, God counts that as a sin against Himself. If we seek to love God, we must love others, for it is through our actions towards them that we truly show our love for Him.

This week, we’ve been reviewing the attributes of love found in First Corinthians 13.  For this week’s final message, let’s look at the first part of verse five, where Paul says love “…does not behave rudely.”

It’s so easy to let a bad day gradually shape the way we act toward others until we become short, snippy, and downright rude.  Maybe it’s a co-worker or family member, or maybe it’s a stranger like a waiter or a clerk.  Whoever it might be, we tend to take out our frustrations on others by being rude.  But ask yourself, have you ever enjoyed being treated rudely?  Of course not!  We are all offended and upset when others are rude to us.  So why would we be rude to others?  The reason is because sometimes, we are not guided by love as we ought to be.  No matter how bad the day goes, remember to walk in love and let that guide how you treat and speak to others.  Do not behave rudely; display love and kindness.

This week, we have seen that real, godly love moves us to patience and kindness and prevents us from envying others. Today, let’s note that love “does not boast and is not arrogant.”

Boasting about one’s accomplishments while envying the accomplishments of others comes naturally. But once again, this contradicts real love.  As we see throughout First Corinthians 13, real love helps us focus on others.  Pride and arrogance, however, happen when we focus on ourselves.  An ironic thing happens when we are proud and boastful. Remember that Paul said, “Without love, we are nothing.”  Thus, if boasting is the opposite of love, and without love, we are nothing, then when we boast, we boast about nothing!  When we are proud, we are proud without reason!  Arrogance and boasting do not highlight our accomplishments; they highlight our emptiness and nothingness.  If you want to be something, be humble.  If you want to really accomplish something, pursue humility and godly love.

Yesterday, we saw godly love is first described as “patient and kind.”  In First Corinthians 13, Paul does not just tell us what love is; he also describes what love is not.  The next portrayal of godly love is that “….love does not envy.”

To “envy” is to burn hot against someone, typically out of jealousy.  Such an attitude directly contradicts godly love.  If we seek to be Christians, we cannot allow ourselves to be envious of other’s possessions, abilities, or station in life.  Maybe someone has more than we do.  Perhaps someone is more talented than we are.  Others may enjoy more success than we do.  When we are motivated by love, such things won’t make us envious, they will cause us to rejoice for and with others.  At work, school, home, and especially at church, work on rejoicing in the abilities and good fortunes of others.  Get rid of envy and find the joy of real, godly love.

Our society is quite infatuated with the idea of love.  Unfortunately, the love that many seek is anything but real, godly love.  Satan has disillusioned the world with a twisted definition of love, but thankfully, God has provided us with an accurate portrayal of this most wondrous attribute.

First Corinthians 13:4-8 provides the inspired definition of real love.  These verses show us what love is and what love is not.  The first thing we read is “Love is patient and kind.”  If we seek godly love, we will be patient and kind to others.  We will not be easily upset and offended but instead will give others the benefit of the doubt.  Too often we bristle and get angry at the slightest misstep by others.  That is not the way of love.  As you go through your day, remember to be patient.  Be gracious with others, and work to find the best in each situation.  Approach difficulty with mildness and choose to respond with kindness to all.

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”  Those inspired words lay the foundation for one of the greatest chapters in Scripture—First Corinthians 13.

Paul’s discourse begins by explaining what we are not if we lack love.  Purposely exaggerating, Paul demonstrates that if we do marvelous things, obtain sublime knowledge, and make tremendous sacrifices yet miss out on godly love, we have missed out on everything.  Despite our works, we do nothing.  Despite our knowledge, we know nothing.  Despite our giving, we receive nothing.  This is why love is “the more excellent way.”