1 Corinthians 13:4b love does not envy

I am not sure but it just might be that many of us mistake envy here for covet. The reason I say this is because we often look at what others have materially and wish we had one also. It might be a new car, a bigger home, an awesome home entertainment center, or a dozen things that are nicer than what we have. Isn’t that more in line with covetousness?

Rather than looking at the possessions look at the person who has what you want? Envy focusses on the possessor not the possession. Envy says I want to be like him/her. Envy does not want things, it says I am unhappy with who I am and I want to be like that.

Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

If you are His then you are being conformed into the image of Christ. Why would you settle for anything less? Even if the person you envy is a leading Christian personality like a Billy Graham, they are still not Christ, they are still imperfect, admirable perhaps but still less than perfect. Christ is perfect.

So what is the harm here? Are we not to give honor where honor is due? Yes, but honor is not envy. The real danger is in being so focused on what the Holy Spirit has done in others that you ignore what He is trying to accomplish in you.

1 Corinthians 12:31a But covet earnestly the best gifts:

I have been in churches that covet the power gifts to their own detriment because they failed to believe the second half of this verse.

1 Corinthians 12:31b and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

This is where we are now, in love.

John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Jesus summed up all the laws in just two commands, which are really just one. Love. You would think that is easy but maybe we do not properly understand love itself. So let us reexamine what love does in 1 Corinthians 13.

Love suffers long and is kind. While we might want to separate the two issues here allow me to point to the issue of being kind in your suffering. We often associate suffering with illness and injury but I do not believe this is what the Holy Spirit is telling us about suffering.

John 15:20-22 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin.

Here in John 15 we hear Jesus telling His Apostles “if they keep my saying” which is literally the same issue of John 14:15, keep my commandments. Here however He is speaking about delivering the gospel to the lost. This isn’t about suffering for yourself but suffering for the lost.

How many of us have spoken the words of reconciliation to those we love only to be ignored? Do we not suffer in our hearts over the rejection of God’s Word? Do we remain kind in rejection or do we allow ourselves to become frustrated and impatient?

When you read 1 Corinthians 13:4 is this the suffering you consider or does your mind go to think about other kinds of suffering? If this is the first time you have considered this line of thinking about suffering, then join me tomorrow as we reexamine love in 1 Corinthians 13.