Keep out of debt and owe no man anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor [who practices loving others] has fulfilled the Law [relating to one's fellowmen, meeting all its requirements].
9
The commandments, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill,
You shall not steal, You shall not covet (have an evil desire), and any
other commandment, are summed up in the single command, You shall love
your neighbor as [you do] yourself. [Exod. 20:13-17; Lev. 19:18.]
10 Love does no wrong to one's neighbor [it never hurts anybody]. Therefore love meets all the requirements and is the fulfilling of the Law.
1 Corinthians 13:1-8
1
IF I [can] speak in the tongues of men and [even] of angels, but have
not love (that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion such as is
inspired by God's love for and in us), I am only a noisy gong or a
clanging cymbal.
2 And if I have prophetic powers (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), and understand all the secret truths and
mysteries and possess all knowledge, and if I have [sufficient] faith
so that I can remove mountains, but have not love (God's love in me) I
am nothing (a useless nobody).
3 Even if I dole out all that I have [to the poor in providing] food, and if I surrender my body to be burned or in order that I may glory, but have not love (God's love in me), I gain nothing.
4 Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.
5 It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God's love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].
6 It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.
7 Love bears up under anything and
everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every
person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures
everything [without weakening].
8
Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an
end]. As for prophecy (the gift of interpreting the divine will and
purpose), it will be fulfilled and pass away; as for tongues, they will be destroyed and cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away [it will lose its value and be superseded by truth].
Devotional
I Will Walk in Love!
by Gloria Copeland“To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ; lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” 2 Corinthians 2:10-11
Love is the real secret of our success. That’s why Satan is working furiously day in, day out to deceive and pressure us into stepping out of love. He is constantly sending situations our way to tempt us to stop yielding to love and to yield to the “enemies of love.”
It’s vitally important that we not be ignorant of the devil’s devices, because when we’re ignorant or unaware, we’re more likely to fall prey to them.
It is important for us to study the Word to know what love is and what it is not. We need to study the enemies of love so that when the devil tempts us with them, we can quickly recognize his strategies and say, “No, devil! I refuse to do that. It’s unloving, and I choose to walk in love!”
Some people don’t realize that resisting temptation is that simple. (Notice, I didn’t say easy. I said simple.) But it is! Temptation is nothing more than a solicitation to do evil. In times of temptation, the devil comes to you like a solicitor or a salesman and makes you a presentation. He brings an influence into your life and puts an opportunity in front of you to sin. One reason we fail to reject the devil’s solicitations at times is because we don’t recognize temptation for what it is. We buy the devil’s line before we even realize he’s selling something to us.
So we have to learn his devices.
The enemies of love are things such as envy, which the dictionary defines as “a feeling of discontent and ill will because of another’s advantages, possessions or success.” Jealousy, which is a little stronger than envy, is also an enemy of love. To be jealous is to be “suspicious, apprehensive of rivalry or resentfully envious.” Proverbs 6:34 says, “Jealousy is the rage of a man.”
Pride, too, is listed in 1 Corinthians 13 as an enemy of love. It is an overly high opinion of one’s self, exaggerated self-esteem, or conceit—and it shows itself through haughty or arrogant behavior. Pride is something we have to watch for in our lives. The moment we start to think more highly of ourselves than we ought, we need to humble ourselves before God and repent of pride.
Other enemies of love include bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness. Those three things are among the biggest obstacles to walking in love, especially among people who have truly been hurt or abused.
Examine your heart. Listen to your mouth. Are you walking in love, or in the enemies of love? Love is the real secret to your success in relationships, on the job, in your marriage, everywhere. Make a quality decision today: I will walk in love!
Speak the Word
“I am not ignorant of Satan’s devices. I determine to walk in love and refuse to allow him to take advantage of me.” —2 Corinthians 2:10-11
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