Saints of God:If You’re Not Winning Souls For Christ...You Don’t Work For God…You’re SELF-EMPLOYED!! But Let’s Talk About Having The Real Love of God!

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. 4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. 13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

The Apostle Paul left no room for doubting how we as believers should love; and he defined what Godly love (charity) is all about in 1 Corinthians 13. The first fruit of the Spirit of God should be love. 1Cor. 13:13; “But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

Though many believers measure their spirituality by tongues, prophecy, gain, etc. Paul states that those things are not the proof of God's Spirit residing in a person, but rather the opposite if real love isn't present. 1Cor. 13:1; “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”

We will know if the workings are of God by the love that is shown in the vessel that is being used. Whether they are being used by God, by Satan, or by Self, is very evident by the love that is present. 1Cor. 13:2; “And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I give over my body in order to boast, but do not have love, I receive no benefit.”

The greek word for Godly love (agape) is not based on feeling but rather it’s based on action. Agape is love because of what it does, not because of how it feels. John 15:13; “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

Phileo is the greek word for having a special interest in someone or something, frequently with focus on close association; having affection for, like, considering someone a friend. You can agape your enemies but you cannot phileo them.

1Sam. 18:1; “And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.”

Eros is the Greek word for sexual love or passionate love. As a proper noun, it refers to the Greek god of love and does not appear in the Bible. This type of love is permitted between the bond of a man and woman which should develop after agape and phileo has occurred. 1Cor. 7:8; “I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.”

Agape is not a cold religious kindness shown for duty alone, but it is a rich love that means loving in spite of. We should never feel we are better than others because we chose to love unconditionally! Phil. 2:3; “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.”

It is the agape kind of love which God has for us, and for which we are commanded to have for one another. 1John 4:11; “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.”

Jesus said that loving one another is not an option for the believer; it is a commandment. However, His commandment came with an example of how it is to be fulfilled. John 14:23; “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”

“Erotic love is egoistic. It says, “My first and last consideration is myself.” Philic love is mutualistic. It says, “I will give as long as I receive.”

Agapic love, on the other hand, is altruistic, saying, “I will give, requiring nothing in return.” It is the agape kind of love which God has for us, and for which we are commanded to have for one another. This is the love that 1 Corinthians 13 is illustrating and this is the love that proves that we are in Christ and He resides in us. When we are able to love God with all our heart and love our neighbors as ourselves, then we are able to exemplify the very love that God showed us by giving His Son to die for us. This is why agape love is not an option but rather it is proof of being born again. 1John 5:1-2; “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.”

Loving a person the right way is a process. It takes time for true love to develop and for security in that love to manifest. Eccl. 7:8; “Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” If we are not able to wait, then we will not experience what real love has to offer. Growing with a person gives us an opportunity to experience love the right way. James 1:4; “But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” As God waited on us to come to our senses and has given us time to truly know Him, we should offer this time for the ones we say we love and be patient concerning their process. James 5:7; “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it.”

• To receive kindness we must be kind: Real love causes us to do kind things and treat those we love with consideration for their feelings before our own. Prov. 18:24; “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly.”
• Giving is a product of kindness: When you truly love a person it births the desire to give to them without expecting anything in return. Luke 6:36; “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.”
•  Kindness requires self-denial: Truly loving a person requires that you put them first and deny yourself. Rom. 12:10; “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another.” 

• Jealousy is a by-product of insecurity: When a person is jealous, they are made to feel inferior because of what someone else has. Gal. 5:26; “Let us not be full of self-glory, making one another angry, having envy of one another.” 

• It is hard to truly love a person that you are jealous of: You will either desire to take from them or compete with them. So in essence, you oppose them and desire to see them fail. Obad. 12; “Do not see with pleasure your brother’s evil day, the day of his fate, or make wide your mouth on the day of trouble.” 

• Jealousy is selfish and causes us to rejoice when others lose: True love is not jealous because it rejoices in what others have and are able to accomplish. Rom. 12:15; “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.”

Growing in love requires patience. Patience must accompany true love because it takes time for real love to develop. Over time we learn how to give without expecting things in return. We learn how to be happy in giving to others and how to rejoice when others receive. Overcoming feelings of jealousy and envy takes time because growing up with love deficits can cause us to feel inferior to others. So, we must lift ourselves up in some manner while tearing down those that make us feel inferior. This is the opposite of real love. When we view the accomplishments of others negatively and we feel that we should have what they received, then we do not possess the love of God but rather the spirit of the enemy. It was this same spirit that caused Satan to fall from Heaven and tempt mankind. Real Godly love rejoices in the accomplishments of others and desires to see others do well. This is the love of God and the only way to truly love each other. 1John 3:18; “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but indeed and in truth.”

When a person is boastful, they are more concerned about getting love than giving it. People that talk excessively about their accomplishments or what they possess do it to feel self-worth. Jer. 9:23; “Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches.”

Bragging on things we have or plan to acquire provokes envy and jealousy which creates a stumblingblock for others. In order to feel value, those that boast must extract value from others. Gal. 5:26; “Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.”

Our reputation should be given to us, not given by us. True love doesn’t attempt to make a name for itself nor does it make others feel bad for having less. Phil. 2:7; “But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.”

Love of self creates the desire to be great. This makes it hard to love others correctly because one that seeks fame, fortune, or prestige will always put themselves first and never truly value what is important in this life. 1Sam. 2:3; “Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogance come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.”

An arrogant person will damage others in pursuit of achieving superficial greatness. This causes them to exchange Godly love for self-love. Prov. 8:13; “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogance, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate."

Godly love does not compete to be better than others but rather it seeks opportunity to lift others up. Phil. 2:3; “Doing nothing through envy or through pride, but with low thoughts of self, let everyone take others to be better than himself.”

Love does not mistreat people but always considers its actions prior to reacting. Gal. 5:15; “But if you are given to fighting with one another, take care that you are not the cause of destruction one to another.”

Going off on a person and purposely trying to hurt a person with words and deeds is not love. The Bible likens this behavior to murder. Matt. 5:21; “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.”

Love does not desire to hurt people but it always seeks to keep people out of harm's way; but sure we can disagree and even be angry, but real love preserves the relationship and does not attempt to permanently scar it. Prov. 26:24; “He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him.”

Boastful and proud people consider themselves and how people view them, far more than they ever consider others. They talk about themselves, what they have, how they feel, etc. without really considering how others must feel as a result of their selfishness. This is because they lack identity and therefore they lack value. So, they must find value in their abilities instead of their existence; and when we lack identity and value, it’s hard for us to operate in love. Insecurity and low self-esteem can cause us to ruin relationships and feel even worse about ourselves. This makes a person brag or show off possessions and achievements in order to feel better about themselves while making others feel less about themselves. A person that struggles with boastfulness and pride will also behave treacherously when they do not get their way. When they feel that they are not being respected, lifted up, or looked upon as better than others, they will snap! A person lifted up in pride will fight at all costs to keep their self-image intact and will hurt people in the process. This is not how true love behaves. Love does not act unbecomingly and throw tantrums to hurt others. Love considers its actions and how they will affect others in an effort to preserve and protect their feelings. 1John 4:20-21; “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.”

Our modern day church is plagued with selfseeking attitudes. Many are claiming to be in the will of God while doing what they want to do. Prov. 1:30; “They had no desire for my teaching, and my words of protest were as nothing to them. So the fruit of their way will be their food, and with the designs of their hearts they will be made full.”

It is impossible to serve God and serve oneself! We cannot truly do the will of God while coupling it with our own carnal desires. Matt. 16:24; “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

True love gives up fleshly desires for God. To truly love God, our lives must line up with His plan and we must consistently represent Him in our daily walk. John 15:10; “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.”

True love is consistent! When we operate in Godly love, we are consistent and mean what we say. Love must be backed up by our actions and not just lip service. 1John 3:18; “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but indeed and in truth.”

Real love is not easily angered or provoked! To be easily provoked to the point of recanting one’s feelings is a sign that a person never truly loved at all; and these people are usually around only to benefit themselves in some kind of way. 1Th. 4:6; “That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.”

True love does not purposely try to harm a person when angered. Love always takes into account the feelings of others and protects them from harm instead of causing it. Heb. 10:24; “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.”

Godly love is forgiving. When we truly love one another, we forgive, even after we feel we have been done wrong. 2Cor. 2:7; “So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.”

We should never keep a tally of things that a person has done displeasing or hurtful to us. True love will always address these issues as they occur and work them out. We should never allow issues to fester and build up hatred in our heart. Eph. 4:26; “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath.”

When we store up wrongs without addressing them, once seriously angered, we will site wrongs that cannot be resolved and thus permanently scar the relationship. It’s not fair to expect a person to move forward knowing that they have been held in contempt for past issues that they were not made aware of. Col. 3:9; “Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds.”

The Bible tells us to agree without our adversary quickly. It also states for us to never let the sun go down on our anger. These things are stated because when we hold on to hurtful things that people have done, and do not deal with them immediately, we are creating a malicious account against them. Over time this account will continuously be deposited into until we cannot take anymore. But the person we are angry with is judged without being made aware of the issues. This creates arguments that cannot be resolved and issues that permanently scar relationships. When we hold onto things like this, “I’m sorry” will not be enough to resolve it because so much has happened and has been charged to the account. We cannot judge people based on issues with them that we never addressed. And true love should never allow hurtful feelings to fester in one’s heart. Godly love does not keep an account of wrongdoing and does not bring up past issues when angered. We must learn to deal with our feelings toward one another immediately. We should always desire to go to each other in love and reconcile our differences when we have them. To keep a record of wrong and allow it to build up is malicious and causes harm to one another. 1Pet. 1:22; “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.”

Righteousness essentially means to “line up with right” or “aligned with what is perceived to be right.” 1John 2:29; “If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.”

When we accept the Word of God as our reference point for what is right, then God’s righteousness becomes our goal. 1John 3:7; “Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.”

Before Christ, we loved and embraced worldliness, but coming to Christ should make us delight in lining up with God’s righteousness. Rom. 6:22; “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.”

All Real love perseveres. A major test of true love is that it is longsuffering and does not give up. 1Cor. 13:4; “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.” 

No matter what challenges come, true love overcomes it. Godly love always sees the big picture and strives to endure until the end. Heb. 3:14; “For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end.”

When people say they love you, they are really saying that they will go the distance with you, no matter what. This is Godly love! Heb. 13:5; “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

Love believes that no matter what happens, it can be worked out. There is never a situation that love cannot handle. Love never stops believing. 2Cor. 5:7; “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

When people part ways, it's because someone's love was conditional only based upon what they wanted or did not receive. This is not Godly, love. 1Th. 5:15; “See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.”

True Godly love is based on giving and not receiving. Acts 20:35; “I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

God has great hope for us. He hopes for all to be saved. Jesus even died in hopes that others would believe and be saved. 1Tim. 2:4; “Whose desire is that all men may have salvation and come to the knowledge of what is true.”

This same hope is synonymous with Godly love. When we love the right way, we continue to hope that situations would work out and we never give up on each other. Prov. 17:17; “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

Even when people do us wrong or give up on us, we continue to hope the best for them. Luke 6:28; “Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.”

Most people today base their love on feelings alone. When they feel bad or down, they assume that they are not loved or they take out their frustration on those they say they love; but on the contrary, when they are feeling good they will say that they love you and have your back no matter what! This is a rising epidemic in our society because of the lack of proper parenting and the widespread divorce among families. When people divorce, most children begin to believe that love does not bear, believe, hope, or endure all things, but only some things. This misrepresentation creates the idea that love is relative to our emotions and has stipulations that justify ending love whenever desired. The victims of these situations are now teaching their children that love has limits and when you don’t want to love anymore, you should stop. When loves becomes relative to feeling then true love never manifests. People that say they love you will bail on you and quit when they no longer feel good or when you can no longer make them feel good. Those that love conditionally end up hating themselves because they cannot keep relationships intact. This is what has caused major depression and anxiety issues in our society. People have health issues because of their lack of love and loyalty. Since they give up on things and people, they cannot keep hope for themselves. This causes pain and turmoil in their minds and pushes them to self- hatred and even self-destruction. True love stays optimistic and keeps hope for others. When our love keeps believing, hoping, and enduring, then that same hope applies to us and we never give up on ourselves. No matter what we endured growing up or what may have caused trauma in our lives, we cannot change our perspective on Godly love. We must accept God’s definition of love and live it! The only way we will truly experience love is if we practice loving God’s way. John 13:34-35; “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

FOR GOD I'LL LIVE & FOR GOD I'LL DIE!!

I Would Rather Be Uncomfortable IN CHRIST...Than Be Comfortable WITH SATAN!!