Agape: what real love looks like
Daily Scripture
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
4 Love is patient, love is kind, it isn’t jealous, it doesn’t brag, it isn’t arrogant, 5 it isn’t rude, it doesn’t seek its own advantage, it isn’t irritable, it doesn’t keep a record of complaints, 6 it isn’t happy with injustice, but it is happy with the truth. 7 Love puts up with all things, trusts in all things, hopes for all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails. As for prophecies, they will be brought to an end. As for tongues, they will stop. As for knowledge, it will be brought to an end.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
Corinth in Paul’s day was a large, rich and very immoral city. Scholar William Barclay said Corinth “was also a byword for evil living. The very word Korinthiazesthai, to live like a Corinthian, had become a part of the Greek language, and meant to live with drunken and immoral debauchery.” * When Paul defined love (Greek agape), he was urging Christians to use their spiritual gifts to build up and not divide the church. But he wanted agape to shape all they did, including their closest relationships.
- Pastor Hamilton wrote, “Every successful marriage involves two people sharing one clear mission with their vows as a mission statement. Wedding vows often capture the intention of Agape Love (love that is selfless and sacrificial). They must be continually and deliberately lived out after they are said.” ** Why would that clarity of mission be especially vital in a city like Corinth? What do you see in Paul’s definition of agape that you particularly need to be deliberate to live out?
- Bishop Michael Curry wrote, “Someone once said that Jesus began the most revolutionary movement in all of human history…grounded in the unconditional love of God for the world; a movement mandating people to live that love, and in so doing to change not only their lives but the very life of the world itself. I’m talking about power. Real power. Power to change the world.” *** How has living out agape changed your most valued relationships, or how could it?
Prayer
Lord God, you lived out agape, and I say I want to follow you. Unfold the path to living in selfless love before me and fill me with your Spirit to empower me to follow that path. Amen.
GPS Insights
Lauren Cook
Lauren Cook, who serves as the Entry Points Program Director at Resurrection, wrote today’s Insight. She is a self-proclaimed foodie, a bookworm, and is always planning her next trip. She has the sweetest (and sassiest) daughter, Carolina Rae, a rockstar husband, Austin, and a cutie pup named Thunder. She loves connecting with others so let her know the best place you've ever eaten, best book you've ever read, or best place you've ever been!
How many of you laughed a little if you heard Pastor Scott & Pastor Wendy call out the fact that almost every single wedding uses today’s passage of Scripture? How many of you laughed but thought, “Me too”? I’m raising my hand! So many of us use this Scripture because it speaks of a foundation and a vow upon which a strong marriage can be built. But I do think it’s critical that we remember that Paul was speaking to all of us in this passage, not just those of us at the altar.
That’s where this passage gets a lot more challenging. In our response to the rude comment our neighbor made, in the bitter thoughts that flood our mind when a friend hurts us, in the angry retort we make to our co-worker, in the gossip we spread, and in the daily actions and reactions we have to everyone we interact with.
Some of us tend to say that it’s those closest to us that get our worst selves and while that can be true, I think our casual acquaintances and everyday choices get the least amount of thought or intention. I speak from personal experience because while I can think back to my marriage vows or think about the intentionality I’ve put behind my closest friendships, I can’t say that I’ve created the same mission or foundation for those in the next sphere around me—those who may not be my best friends or family, but those who I interact with and have impact on nonetheless.
What might my life look like if I created a mission statement around showing agape love to everyone? What might our culture look like if I chose to stand firm in my faith and act more like Jesus instead of falling so easily prey to speaking ill of others or spreading rumors or thinking of my own benefit before others’? What might our world look like if we all decided to act out this kind of love instead of taking the easier path and doing what everyone else is doing? What if we became as radical as Jesus was? What if we started another revolutionary movement that is one of love?
What if who we said we wanted to be became who we actually are?
I think we can do it. We won’t be perfect, but let’s try this together, today. I’m sending you love!
© 2024 Resurrection: A United Methodist Church. All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* William Barclay, The Letters to the Corinthians (Revised Edition). Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1975, p. 2.
** Adam Hamilton, Love to Stay: Six Keys to a Successful Marriage (Kindle Locations 101-103). Abingdon Press, Kindle edition.
*** Curry, Bishop Michael. The Power of Love (pp. 9-10). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
