Charity Suffereth Long vs. 4a
Charity, in this chapter, is in the Greek, Agape love. Agape love is a direction by the will, a conscious decision, and to find joy in something or someone. Agape is the kind of love God has toward us and we to Him. Turning our thoughts to Him, speaking to Him, delighting in His Word, are all ways we can show 'agape' love to Him.
Suffereth long, or longsuffering: in the Greek it means to exercise patience and understanding toward people. One of the fruits of the Spirit is longsuffering, or patience. To say "yes, I will wait", when we see or hear the exhotation to be patient, seems easy at times, yet, longsuffering is much more than just waiting! It involves a form of suffering, and endurance, which takes you to the end of yourself, to a point where you just can't bear it anymore. Then when you say, "well, I think I could bear a little more", and are taken to the next unbearable point, and repeat your resolve, you are allowing God to develop longsuffering in you. He does not act in cruelty, but in kindness, though it is usually hard to bear :) He only seeks to make us into the image of His Son!
Climbing up mountains is hard work, though we get a glimpse of utter grandeur when we reach the top. Yet, we cannot reach the very highest peaks until we descend into a few valleys :) How wonderfully kind our God is, to allow us those glimpses of beauty before we go down into the valleys!
"But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire wanting nothing" James 1:4
~Maiden of Truth
No comments:
Post a Comment