Tuesday, September 11, 2007
1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient . . .
LOVE IS PATIENT
Observers of Americana have observed a particularly alarming trait among many young people: impatience. They believe television is at least partially responsible as it subtly projects life with instant cures and instant gratifications -- all within an hour, or half hour, with time out for commercials.
There are those who are impatient with circumstances. Witness the driver who sounds his horn to announce his irritation and squeals away ala the jackrabbit to protest situations which are common to daily life.
Some are impatient with other people. An exaggerated opinion of one's own self-importance causes tensions and loveless acts. An unrealistic assumption of perfection results in noticing too many "motes" (translate "toothpicks") in other's eyes without any awareness of the log-beam in one's own.
And have you ever witnessed the agitation of a person who becomes impatient about missing an opportunity to sin? Patience. Love "suffers long". Who but God could see a hopeless situation and suffer long? No resentment, no blows, no indignation, no bitter words. But only in Christ. With Him God was impatient because of mankind's sins and exacted the ultimate punishment. Such was the quality of His very special love, a love which He communicates to us through the Spirit in the gospel.
The apostle Paul knew love of this type. "But . . . I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life" (1 Timothy 1:16, NIV).
Patience is also God's gift to us. It appears in two lists of the fruits of the Spirit, Galatians 5:22 and Colossians 1:11. It is specifically the self-restraint which does not retaliate a wrong. It is the antithesis of wrath and vengeance. It is the quality of love which does not bear resentment against those who are ignorant, mean, or malicious. The quiet reaction of patient love knows how to return good for evil (See Romans 12:21).
