Barb same as you I am convicted with each verse on the lack of showing the fruits of the Spirit in my life and especially with Love and times I believe I need to be tough
Barb, I appreciate very much your story since I'm also known as the 'brutally honest', 'tactless', 'insensitive' one.(although not so much as my younger days. if one of the kids looks at someone like that person is stupid it is still known far and wide as 'the Jon look'.) The way that this chapter kicks us teaches us something very important. Very very important.
For us to be loving, to match these descriptions that Paul gives us of Love, is the Law. It is the Greatest Commandment and the Second that is like it. It is our duty. Us being loving is Mosaic Law. It is not the Gospel. And that is very Good News. The worst thing about years of trying and failing to be loving was the thought that this was a requirement of Christ's Gospel. It isn't.
His Gospel is that He loves us in this way. His love for us is patient, is kind, is gentle. His love is not so monstrous as to reject us for being monsters. His love gives and never expects a return on His investment, does not seek its own. Which is good, because we can never give a return on His investment. We are all moneypits, lost causes. But His love never fails. And someone will read this and say, that by freeing men from the yoke of trying to be loving, by telling them that there are no consequences to their failure(There are no consequences to your failures Jon, Barb, and Joe and whoever else. Because your Substitute's Love doesn't fail.) I encourage them to be unloving and loveless the simple answer is that when people receive Love like that they don't need consequences or fears to make them loving, not like all of the consequences and fears have been doing a good job anyway. It is Free Grace that changes men, though it is not proud or puffed up or something great to look at.
Barb same as you I am convicted with each verse on the lack of showing the fruits of the Spirit in my life and especially with Love and times I believe I need to be tough
Barb, I appreciate very much your story since I'm also known as the 'brutally honest', 'tactless', 'insensitive' one.(although not so much as my younger days. if one of the kids looks at someone like that person is stupid it is still known far and wide as 'the Jon look'.) The way that this chapter kicks us teaches us something very important. Very very important.
For us to be loving, to match these descriptions that Paul gives us of Love, is the Law. It is the Greatest Commandment and the Second that is like it. It is our duty. Us being loving is Mosaic Law. It is not the Gospel. And that is very Good News. The worst thing about years of trying and failing to be loving was the thought that this was a requirement of Christ's Gospel. It isn't.
His Gospel is that He loves us in this way. His love for us is patient, is kind, is gentle. His love is not so monstrous as to reject us for being monsters. His love gives and never expects a return on His investment, does not seek its own. Which is good, because we can never give a return on His investment. We are all moneypits, lost causes. But His love never fails. And someone will read this and say, that by freeing men from the yoke of trying to be loving, by telling them that there are no consequences to their failure(There are no consequences to your failures Jon, Barb, and Joe and whoever else. Because your Substitute's Love doesn't fail.) I encourage them to be unloving and loveless the simple answer is that when people receive Love like that they don't need consequences or fears to make them loving, not like all of the consequences and fears have been doing a good job anyway. It is Free Grace that changes men, though it is not proud or puffed up or something great to look at.