Love Plumps Up…(suffers long and is kind)
Recently, I shared my little plan…I called it a dual phase of building. While we study queenly character we will also study 1 Corinthians 13. We will address love as a motivation serving through godly character.
We began with the “a clause” of 1 Corinthians 13:4. “Love suffereth long, and is kind.” After a word study, this is what we get:
Love has long patience with long-enduring temper, and is gracious, showing itself useful.
Now, let’s do a bit of cross referencing. When we consider suffering long, we may think of giving someone a long rope. No matter how they knot themselves up with words and deeds that hurt and offend us, we keep extending the rope instead of snatching it back (what we might really want to do!). What else does God’s long-suffering and kindness look like, when expressed through us? Proverbs 10:12 gives us a clue. “Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.” After word study, we get something like this:
Hating someone personally wakes up the eyes of contention; but love plumps up to conceal rebellion, trespass, and offense.
The principle is that love has to be bigger than the sin to cover it. What does our love do? Does it cover? Does it “plump up” in times of pressure and crisis where when possible, we cover or protect another’s mistake?
For the “accountability police” (that includes me sometimes) this is a hard pill because there are consequences to actions, and people “need to know the truth”. If we let our love explode to cover a situation, then who will be held responsible? Who will pray? Who will be accountable? Who will address the wrong?
It takes trust to love like God — trust in God’s word and in God’s plan, that it is bigger than us and works to benefit us as well as others. It takes trust in God to believe that His love through us will do more than our publicly exposing a brother or a sister in Christ. It takes trust to leave the decision (judgment) up to God, and remove the penalty from our brother, sister, or loved one.
Kingdom Queens, does our love walk make us safe or dangerous to other people? I want to be safe. For those that want to join me on the path, I want them to know that they are loved even when they are rebellious, trespass, and cause offense. Love does not deny truth…but love is not the judge.
In this next session of The Queen Life, we look at two women and consider The Character of Oath/Safety. This story shows us one woman who did not have a long-enduring temper, and one woman whose love “plumped up” to create a covering. Join us on the line at 8PM Central, (218) 862-6400, access code 6360503.
Blogs I Follow
The Bereans' Commentary with Shaunta D. Scroggins, Ed.D. 