What The Church Needs Now – 5 WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES LOVE MAKE? 1 Corinthians 13:7-13

 

 

What The Church Needs Now – 5

WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES LOVE MAKE?

1 Corinthians 13:7-13

We’ve been looking at what’s called “the love chapter” in the Bible.  And we’ve learned that …

• Agape love is the greatest kind of love, it’s God’s love, it‘s a forgiving love that doesn’t retaliate when wronged

• Then we saw that love is patient, & kind; it’s treating a person as they need to be treated, not as they deserve to be treated 

• Last week we learned that love is to be lived out in a lifestyle which demonstrates that we are truly followers of Jesus

Today we’re going to wrap it all up & look at how love makes a difference 

in our lives, our relationships, & in our world.

So, with that as an introduction, listen to Good News, 

from Paul to the Church in Corinth, & also to Bear Creek Church.  

Within our hearing comes the Word of the Lord …

Love never gives up; and its faith, hope, and patience never fail.

Love is eternal.  There are inspired messages, but they are temporary; there are gifts of speaking in strange tongues, but they will cease; there is knowledge, but it will pass.  For our gifts of knowledge and of inspired messages are only partial; but when what is perfect comes, then what is partial will disappear.  

When I was a child, my speech, feelings, and thinking were all those of a child; now that I am an adult, I have no more use for childish ways.  What we see now is like a dim image in a mirror; then we shall see face-to-face.  What I know now is only partial; then it will be complete – as complete as God’s knowledge of me.

Meanwhile these three remain: faith, hope, and love; and the greatest of these is love.  (1 Corinthians 13:7-13)

Jesus said, “How happy are those who hear the word of God & obey it!” 

(Luke 11:28)

May the Lord grant that we may engage in contemplating the mysteries of His Heavenly wisdom with really increasing devotion, to His glory and to our edification. Amen

My favorite Winston Churchill story has him touring an English Prep School.  And since he was already on campus, he was asked if he would address the boys at their daily Chapel service.  Initially, Churchill refused, saying that wasn’t the purpose of his visit.  But the Headmaster kept insisting … “the boys will never forget it if you speak to them.”

So, when the time came, Churchill stood up in front of them, & said, “Gentlemen, never give up, never, never, never!”  And then sat down.

I was thinking about that shortest political speech on record this week as I was studying this phrase, “love never gives up.”  And I wondered … what could possibly be added to that?  And I considered standing up here this morning & saying, “love never gives up, never, never, never” … 

& then sitting down!  (That would be a sermon you wouldn’t forget!)  

So, I prayed about it … for a brief moment … & then thought, “Nah!”

This is the last of our 5 studies on 1 Corinthians 13, & I must tell you that working through this chapter has made a deep personal impression on me.  I’ve looked at this passage many times over the years.  

I’ve taught it, I’ve preached on it, but it’s never gripped me like this before.  

And it’s given me a lot to think about as I consider how I relate to others in my “retired” life.

Paul is writing to a Corinthian congregation who knew relatively little about love.  I believe it would be accurate to say that the Corinthian Church was a “loveless” congregation.  Going through all the motions  doing all the right things , but at the core … love was missing.

Our home in Nashville was originally built by Rena Hostetler.

She was one of the 2nd generation of artists here in Brown County.  In fact, 

there’s even a plague by our front door indicating that.  We’ve turned her art studio into a library.  The whole length of the wall is a giant bookcase,  floor to ceiling.  (Actually, we have a # of bookcases all over the house.)  And even though we will never be able to read all the books we have, we continue to go to every used bookstore we can find.

Now Kathy likes to keep our bookshelves nice & orderly so we’re constantly getting rid of books to make space for all our new arrivals.  A couple of weeks ago I was looking through my section & saw Albert Speer’s book “Inside The 3rd Reich.”  

It’s literally been years since I read it, so I pulled it out to “re-evaluate” it.

Speer was one of Hitler’s closest associates during WWII,

& in his book he tells a fascinating story about the fall of Hitler & his army.

They’re in a bunker in Berlin, 50’ below the surface of the earth.  

Hitler & his generals are pouring over the planning tables, talking about the war effort, & signing off on all sorts of requisitions for military materials.  

They’re reassigning divisions.

The only trouble is … neither the divisions nor the materials existed any longer.  They had been wiped out, & the factories had all been bombed.  

And yet these generals, down below the ground, 

continued to play their games with Hitler. They were all “playing war” … 

but up there, out on the ground, there was nothing to play with.

The Corinthian Church was just like that; sitting in its’ “religious bunker” … 

playing all their games.  But out there, the people had stopped loving each other.  Some were even intimidating others.  The rich were ignoring the poor.  The congregation was drifting into factions.

So, Paul offers a short discussion on love.

In the 1st paragraph he shows what things are like when love is absent.  

He explains that if we speak in strange tongues, or if we have knowledge, 

or even perform miracles … but have no love … it’s worthless.

The 2nd paragraph describes how love performs.  

It’s patient & kind, selfless, courteous, & so forth.  It’s a very positive thing.

In the 3rd paragraph Paul makes some comparisons of love to those other things, & then he leaves the Corinthians with 1 final thought … 

“Love is eternal.”  Think about those 3 words, “Love is eternal.”

If I didn’t know this was Scripture, I’d be tempted to think that Paul was writing with simply rabbinical enthusiasm. 

“Love is eternal” … really?  I mean, is anything eternal?

Let’s be honest … some of us have loved, but apparently that love 

didn’t get the job done because it ended.  People fall out of love.

It’s hard to believe Paul when he writes, “love is eternal.”

But what he means is that love is a system that will never become obsolete.

God has ordained it, & it’s relevant here on earth & it’s relevant in Heaven.

Now lots of things have become obsolete.

Think of the things we don’t see much of anymore … phone booths, paper maps, typewriters, encyclopedias, film, landline phones, console TV’s, VCR’s, 

etc.  For all intents & purposes, so is my CD & DVD collection.

Performers & songs which are popular today are unheard of tomorrow.  

A lot of things become obsolete.  Hitler boasted that the 3rd Reich would last 1,000 years.  Paul states that the only thing that will never become obsolete is love.  It will never, ever change.

He writes that 3 things “remain: 

faith, hope, & love; & the greatest of these is love.”

Then Paul makes some personal observations to the Corinthians.  

“For those of you who think preaching is the most important thing … 

I’ve got news for you.  There’s coming a day when preaching will cease.”

What is preaching?  It’s a word from God to you through a preacher 

who’s interpreting the Scriptures through the power of The Holy Spirit.

Now we’re living in a day that especially needs to hear a word from God.  Hopefully in the Church there are those who can offer inspired messages … 

those who can take the truths of Scripture & bring clarity as to what God is saying & wants from us.

For the Corinthians the preachers were the superstars of the Church.

Groupies gathered around them.  “One says, ‘I follow Paul’; another,

‘I follow Apollos’; another, ‘I follow Peter.’” (1 Corinthians 1:12)

Well Paul announces that there’s coming a day when there won’t be a need for preaching.  Choirs, accompanists will always have a job.  

Debbie, Laura, you’ll have work to do … 

but in Heaven, I’ll be unemployed, or at least truly “retired.”

Then there were those in Corinth who spoke in strange tongues.

(When Scripture discusses speaking in tongues, it’s referring to a Heavenly language.  This is an experience we find in Pentecostal churches today.)  These individuals felt they were deeply spiritual because of that particular “gift” & should be recognized as such.  But Paul explains that there’s coming a day when people won’t do that anymore.  It won’t be important.  

Then he moves on to those who have knowledge.  He’s referring to the early theologians.  They were blessed with insights & understandings that no one else had.  Paul writes that that gift will not last either.  

Now he’s been dealing with the 3 most important things in the Corinthian Church … preaching, tongues, & knowledge … & none of them are going to last.

“When I was a child, my speech, feelings, & thinking were all those of a child; now that I am an adult, I have no more use for childish ways.”

Paul explains that we’re living through a time right now that is childlike, 

but we’re moving toward maturity when we’ll see things differently.

When my son, Marty, was 7 or 8 he asked me where babies come from.  

(I think that question is now being asked at a younger age by our grandchildren.)  Well, I’d been reading all the James Dobson books, so I was ready for this.  I sat down & in about 20 minutes I gave him a complete, blow-by-blow answer.  I was very explicit.  

I was completely descriptive.  And he was totally turned off.  

It sounded awful.  He didn’t want to hear anymore.  He was disgusted.

A few years later, however, after puberty, I couldn’t tell him enough.  It was amazing the change that occurred … same person, different stage of life.

That’s what Paul’s referring to.

We’re in this stage now where we can’t appreciate certain things,

but when we became “mature”; we’ll look at things differently. (In a sense, 

Paul’s telling us that we’re all still in Confirmation Class … we’ve got a lot to learn, but when we do, wow, our appreciation of the Lord will take off.)

“Corinthians, your vision is childish.  You’re focusing on preaching, 

& strange tongues, & knowledge… & you’ve completely missed love.”

“What we see now is like a dim image in a mirror; 

then we shall see face-to-face.”  

Corinth was known for manufacturing mirrors.

Mirrors in those days were highly polished pieces of metal.

Metal mirrors, unlike glass mirrors, have lots of distortion to them.

They were like the kind of mirrors we find today in amusement parks.

Paul’s explaining that our spiritual vision is a little distorted now, 

but someday we’ll see the whole picture, & understand completely God’s love.

So, what are the implications of all this?  What difference does it make?  

Let me suggest a couple of things.

1st & foremost … “love never gives up.”

The love of God is secure & unchanging. (James 1:17) Isn’t that comforting to know in our ever-changing world?  Jesus’ love is dependable. (Hebrews 13:8)

2ndly, the love of God came to us when we were unlovable.

“God has shown us how much he loves us – 

it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us!” (Romans 5:8)

Finally, when the love of God comes it brings us into His family.  

“We know that we have left death & come over into life; 

we know it because we love others.” (1 John 3:14)

This is the core of our Gospel.  We have experienced God’s love to us … 

now we share it with others.

This passage not only explains how much God loves us, 

but that love is the only true witness the Church has in this world.

But sadly, the Church is not known primarily for its’ love today.  

It really isn’t.  The Church is known for its’ narrowness, & anger, 

& negativism … the Church has its’ conservative right or liberal left.

Now certainly there are issues that we need to speak out on.

But if we become so topic oriented, & those issues become more important than the way we care for each other … then we’ve lost the battle.  

We must be experts in the subject of what love is all about.  

There must be love spoken here.

Sadly today, many people have a totally wrong understanding about love.  

They really do.  If we go down to the corner of Main Street & Van Buren & ask the people passing by what love is, the majority of answers are going to revolve around “a feeling.”  “Love is a feeling I have when I’m with so & so.”  

The truth of the matter is that love has nothing to do with feelings.  

It really doesn’t.  Feelings change like the weather.  

Feelings depend upon what’s going on in our life at that very moment.

We are commanded to love. (John 13:34-35) Feelings cannot be commanded.  

I can’t command you to be happy or sad.  Feelings are dependent upon outside circumstances.  God commands us to love. (1 John 3:18)

20 years ago, Charles Roberts, entered an Amish 1-room schoolhouse in PA.  He took 10 girls hostage & then shot them.  5 died immediately, 

1 died later from her wounds.  (Charles then took his own life.)

Can you imagine the horror?  And wasn’t just the immediate families involved, but the Amish are a close-knit community.  I can’t even begin to fathom what that would be like.  Even thinking about it now, as an outsider, there’s almost a rage inside me.  Those poor little girls.

Do you remember what those Amish people did?  That very afternoon, 

including members of the families of those 5 murdered girls, in the midst of their grief … they went over to Charles Roberts’ home, to comfort his wife & father!  They set up a charitable fund to help the widow.

The Amish live by the teachings of Jesus, who taught His followers to demonstrate love, to place the needs of others before themselves, & to rest in the knowledge that God is in control & can bring good out of any situation. 

(Romans 8:28) 

Love & compassion toward others is to be life’s theme.

“Love never gives up; & its faith, hope, & patience never fail.” 

That, my friends, is what the Church of Jesus Christ needs to be about; 

it’s what we have to be about.

• I think of all the terrible stuff that’s done in the name of Christianity today 

• I think of all those ethical kind of issues that we fight to the death about 

• I think of some of the divisive crap that is said from certain pulpits 

• I think of the significant # of people who claim to be Christian, but don’t have an inkling of who Jesus Christ really is & what He commands us to do 

The world is going to Hell, & the Church is playing games in its’ spiritual bunker.  There’s only 1 thing that truly matters, 

only 1 thing worth caring about … is love spoken here?

MARANA THA

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What The Church Needs Now – 3 A LOVING LIFESTYLE 1 Corinthians 13:4-6

 

What The Church Needs Now – 3

A LOVING LIFESTYLE

1 Corinthians 13:4-6

• What do you think teachers do when they get together with other teachers? … (talk about their students)

• What do you think Drs. do when they get together with other Drs.? … 

(talk about their patients)

• So, what do you think Pastors do when they get together with other Pastors? … (talk about their congregation)

Well, all other Pastors do! … I had my monthly luncheon with the area Pastors on Wednesday, & honestly, when I talk about you, I brag.

You all are wonderful, & I’m blessed.

But back to other Pastors, one of my favorite Pastor/congregation stories comes from my friend, Bob Salmon.  Bob & I used to spend time together, & even fantasized about someday co-pastoring a church.  

Bob liked administration & counseling; I liked preaching & teaching.

So, we thought it would be a good fit.

Bob shared this wonderful story with me years ago, & I’ve never forgotten it.  At the time he was pastoring a congregation in the northside of Pittsburgh, & one year he began a program to “reach out” into the community.  So, the congregation got together & formed teams,

each having 2 members.  These teams then went out into the neighborhoods to get to know the people & talk to them about the Church.   

One team was comprised of 2 women … Helen & Gladys, 

who were in their early 80’s.  (As Bob tells the story I picture them sort of like Mary George … sweet ladies.)

Well, Helen & Gladys were given a map & told very clearly to go down to Summit Drive & turn right.  But Helen & Gladys, who had spent their lives teaching elementary school, were better in giving directions than receiving them.  They turned left, venturing into the housing projects.  This meant that Helen & Gladys proceeded to evangelize the “wrong neighborhood.”   

And thereby ran the risk of evangelizing the “wrong people.”

Later that afternoon, each team returned to the Church to make a report of the experiences.  Helen & Gladys had only 1 interested person to talk about … a woman named Verleen.  Nobody else on their wayward route was even remotely interested in visiting the Church … nobody, that is, but Verleen.  She lived with her 2 children in a 3-room apartment in the projects.  And although she had never been to a church in her life, 

Verleen decided she wanted to visit theirs.

Now this is what happens when people don’t follow directions.  

This is what you get when you don’t listen to your Pastor.

You get a woman from the projects named Verleen.

So, the next Sunday Helen & Gladys proudly presented Verleen at the worship service, along with her 2 children.  Verleen liked it so much that she wanted to attend the Thursday morning lady’s Bible Study.  

Helen & Gladys said that they’d be happy to pick her up.

Thursday morning Verleen proudly appeared, clutching her new Bible, 

a gift from Helen & Glady’s circle.  The 1st Bible Verleen had ever seen,

 much less opened, & she was so excited.

Now Bob was leading the study that morning on Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness.  And after a brief explanation, 

in order to get the discussion going, he asked the ladies …

“Have any of you ever faced temptations?  Have any of you refused some temptation because of your Christian commitment?”

One of the women said that just the week before there was some confusion in the checkout line at the grocery store & she discovered in the parking lot that she had a loaf of bread that she hadn’t paid for.  At 1st she reasoned, “why should I pay for it; I give them enough money.”  But then she thought, “No, I’m a Christian.”  So, she went back in & paid for it.

Well, with that Verleen jumped up!

“A couple of years ago I was into cocaine really big.

You know what that’s like.  You know how that stuff really makes you crazy.  Well, anyway, my boyfriend, not the one I have now, but the one who’s the daddy of my 1st child.  Well, he knocked off a gas station one night.  

We got $200 out of it.  It was as simple as taking candy from a baby.  

Well, my boyfriend says to me, ‘let’s knock off the 7/11 store down on the corner.’  Something in me said, ‘No.  I held up the gas station with you, but I ain’t gonna hold up no convenience store.’  Well, he beat the crap out of me, but I still said, ‘no’ & it felt great.  That’s the only time in my life that I ever said ‘no’ to anything … & it made me feel like I was somebody!”

Through the stunned silence Bob managed to stutter, “well, er, ah, 

that’s resisting temptation.  Let’s close with prayer.”

Afterward, as Bob was helping Helen into her car, she said,

“I can’t wait to get home & start inviting other ladies to come next week.  You know, your Bible studies used to be kind of dull, 

but I can get a good crowd for this!”

I wanted to use Bob’s story as an introduction this morning because I really enjoyed it, & I hoped you would too.  And also, because I bet Corinth was like that.  Don’t read the N.T. & think all the people in those early churches were some kind of holy saints.  They were congregations made up of Verleen’s … people who came out of the “projects” of life.

They were real flesh & blood human beings

So, with that, listen to Good News, from Paul to the Church in Corinth, & also to Bear Creek Church.  Within our hearing comes the Word of the Lord …

Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud; love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs; love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth.

(1 Corinthians 13:4-6)

Jesus said, “How happy are those who hear the word of God & obey it!” 

(Luke 11:28)

May the Lord grant that we may engage in contemplating the mysteries of His Heavenly wisdom with really increasing devotion, to His glory and to our edification. Amen

The past couple of weeks we’ve been looking at what love is; 

this morning we’re going to focus on what love is not.

Apparently, the Corinthians were doing so many things wrong in regards to their relationships that it was necessary for Paul to point them out.  And, don’t be surprised, as we look at these today,                                

if you might identify yourself in here somewhere, I know I did.

“Love is not jealous, not conceited, not proud; 

love is not ill-mannered, not selfish,  not irritable; 

love does not keep a record of wrongs; love is not happy with evil.”

The Corinthians gathered regularly for times of worship, learning, 

& communion.  They sang sacred songs & hymns.  They said their prayers.  They were doing “right” things.  But something was missing.  

They were not living in love. (John 13;34-35)

Paul doesn’t soft-soap his comments as we do today.  

“Hey, I understand why you Corinthians are treating each other this way.  You probably had some poor parental relationships.  

Some of you were abused & neglected.”  All of those kinds of explanations 

& excuses we now use to indulge bad behavior.

Certainly, Paul would have been concerned about those things, 

but he knows that when people come to faith in Jesus, they must pursue change. There’s no excuse before God for lives that are boastful, proud, 

rude, or self-seeking. 

 Paul saw all of that in Corinth, & those people needed to change.

Now Paul also wrote this because he knew these things existed in his own heart.  He remembered what his life was like before coming to faith in Jesus.  He was a highly religious Pharisee; a man who was a leader among leaders; a man with a brilliant mind. (Philippians 3:5-6)

But he didn’t know anything about love.  Paul knew harshness.  

He knew rudeness.  He knew anger.  He knew self-righteousness.  

He knew pride.  He was all the things he writes about in this paragraph.

So, he’s not just some unconcerned bystander.

He’s had to deal with all of this personally.  Day by day he’s had to address these things in his own life.  He’s had to confess & overcome them.  So, he’s not just pointing his finger at the Corinthians, he’s also looking at himself.

Another reason why Paul includes this paragraph is that it describes the fallen condition of the human heart. (Jeremiah 17:9)                             

And it’s not a pretty picture.

Again, I can’t speak for you, but when I read these words, 

I find myself needing to pray a prayer of confession.

“Lord Jesus, forgive me for my jealously.  Lord, I must confess that there are times when I’m conceited.  Jesus, I’m a proud man.  Lord, when left to my own instincts I’m often ill-mannered, selfish, & irritable.  I remember in my heart sins that people did … especially when they hurt me.  Jesus, 

there’s something in me that enjoys evil.  I’m much more fascinated about lies & slander; stuff people whisper about, than I am with the truth.”

Is that a prayer that you need to pray? … 

But the Good News is, while all of this is a description of what we are by instinct, it can be replaced when The Holy Spirit dwells in our heart.  

When we experience conversion, change, when we come to faith … 

our responses will be different. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

When we’re filled with love, we stop being jealous of others.  

We become satisfied with what we are, & what we have.  We’re not conceited.  We don’t have to brag to build ourselves up.  When the love of Christ fills us, we don’t have to be ill-mannered with others.  We can step back & be servants. (Galatians 5:13) When the love of Christ fills us, we don’t have to be selfish; wondering, worrying, if we’re always going to get our fair share.  We don’t have to be self-seeking.  Paul writes, “Love is not irritable.”

We’ve been talking about this for the past few Sundays.  

There’s so much rage & anger in our world today.  I don’t know, 

maybe even some of us, are ready at any given moment, to explode.

“Love does not keep a record of wrongs.”  It doesn’t hold grudges.  

It doesn’t remember something done 10/12 years ago.  And it doesn’t rejoice in hearing evil news about others … “but is happy with the truth.”

I’ve talked about my admiration of Charles Colson on several occasions.  

Do you remember who he was?  Richard Nixon’s henchman.  

I believe he had one of the most profound conversions in our time.

And, as far as I’m concerned, he became one of the best articulators of the Christian faith in the past 50 years.

He spent the 1st ½ of his life living just as Paul describes here.  

Then, in the midst of a prison experience, he came to faith in Jesus.  

And things began to change, & what changed most was his ability to love.

In his book, “Life Sentence,” Colson tells of being interviewed by the irreverent Lou Gordon.  Gordon’s TV shows were famous for their controversy.  In particular, he hated every person who participated in Watergate.  And he desperately wanted Colson on his show so he could tear him apart.  Well, that opportunity happened, & when the director flashed the signal for the program to begin, it was like a bell for the 1st round in a heavyweight fight.  Gordon came out swinging.

“Mr. Colson, I’m glad you’re here to answer for yourself because we’ve discussed you on my program many times.”

“Not all bad, I hope.”

“No, always bad; in fact, 

I can’t think of anything good I’ve ever said about you.”

 

Then Gordon began, like a machine gun, 

firing every tough question he could conjure up.

Colson writes,

“My answers just intensified his fury; the blue veins running through his temples were throbbing, his neck was turning a purplish red.  Never had I been interviewed by someone trying so hard to be obnoxious.

For Gordon, this was a holy crusade to smite the most despised enemy.  

“Several times I bit my lip to keep from slashing replies that had once been 2nd nature to me.  When I finally spoke of the power of Jesus Christ, 

it looked like the top of Gordon’s head would erupt.

“Then he hit me with an unexpected blow.  ‘Do you suppose, Mr. Colson, 

that God caused your father to die while you were in prison as a punishment for your lifetime of sins?’

“My anger flared.  My Dad was my closest friend; a wonderful, decent, kind man, still a model for my life.  I loved him deeply.  ‘Why should I put up with this?’  I asked myself as I stared into Gordon’s cold eyes.  He stared back, absolute contempt passed between us.  Every human impulse wanted to strike back at him.  The perfect answer was on the tip of my tongue: 

‘I understand you had a near fatal heart attack a year ago; maybe God was punishing you for your hate, for all the bile you’ve spilled out on others.’

“I wanted to attack him so much I could taste it.  

Then came a calm, gentle nudging, a reminder of His way.  

‘I don’t believe that, Lou.  Ours is a loving God.’

“It wasn’t a strong response either verbally or theologically.  

But the crisis passed, the tension broke.  Gordon leaned back in his chair, spent, as I gave my testimony which millions saw on the screen.

“For weeks I relived that painful moment, alternately wishing that I’d torn into him for the sake of my Dad’s memory, & then thanking God I hadn’t.  Then I forgot about Lou Gordon until months later.  Skimming through Time magazine my eye caught ‘Milestones.’  ‘Died: TV interviewer, Lou Gordon, 

age 60, of a heart attack.’  Had I struck back with the answer that jumped 

into my mind, I’d have regretted it the rest of my days.”

Wow … that’s such a powerful commentary of this passage.  

And it literally hits me right between the eyes.  Each of us finds ourselves at times being attacked, I can close my eyes & can honestly remember 

& relive those moments in my own experience.  Maybe you can too.

And when those happen, when someone releases that horrible bile directly 

at you, at me … how do we respond?  How should we respond?

There is a battle constantly going on in each of us.  It’s between our human nature & our spiritual nature. It’s between the flesh, & the spirit.

And it happens on a daily basis.  How are we going to live?  

Who are we living for?  Who is sitting on the throne of our heart?

Who do I serve?  Who do you serve? (Joshua 24:15)

“Love is patient & kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud; 

love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; 

love does not keep a record of wrongs; 

love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth.”

Now, let’s insert our names …

______ is patient & kind; ______ is not jealous or conceited or proud; ______ is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; 

______ does not keep a record of wrongs;

 _____ is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth.

MARANA THA