Love

A friend recently loaned me a tape of a sermon by Fred McClure (http://www.fredmcclure.org). It was wonderful and I hope he doesn't mind if I share one of his key points with you.

First, take a look at 1 Corinthians 13 (from the NKJV):

¹ Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. ²And 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. ³And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,^[a] but have not love, it profits me nothing.
⁴Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ⁵does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; ⁶does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
⁸Love 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. ⁹For we know in part and we prophesy in part. ¹⁰But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
¹¹When 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. ¹²For 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.
¹³And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

After speaking of verses 4-7, what Rev. McClure said that moved me so much was this: "The Bible says that God is love, so let's replace 'love' with 'Jesus'":

⁴Jesus suffers long and is kind; Jesus does not envy; Jesus does not parade himself, is not puffed up; ⁵does not behave rudely, does not seek his own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; ⁶does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Then he said "The church is the body of Christ, so let's replace 'Jesus' with our church name" (I'll use my church, but as you read this, use yours):

⁴Ford's Chapel suffers long and is kind; Ford's Chapel does not envy; Ford's Chapel does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ⁵does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; ⁶does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Then he said "You are the church, so replace your church name with 'I'":

⁴I suffer long and am kind; I do not envy; I do not parade myself, am not puffed up; ⁵do not behave rudely, do not seek my own, am not provoked, think no evil; ⁶do not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoice in the truth; ⁷bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, endure all things.

That sure gives us something to live up to doesn't it?