1 Corinthians 12-16

Friday, February 26, 2010
1 Corinthians 12-16

Chapter 13, verses 1-3:

   If we do all of these things, but we don't have charity (love) in our heart, then it doesn't matter in the least.
 
   I was once told to look at this chapter and think of my marriage. So, today, I'm going to do that.

Verses 4-9: "Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Charity never faileth:..."

• Charity suffereth long ~ If we have love for our spouse, then we will have patience toward them.
• Charity is kind ~ If we love our spouse, we will find ways to be of use to them.
• Charity envieth not ~ If we love our spouse, then we will not be jealous of them.
• Charity vaunteth not itself ~ If we love our spouse, then we won't brag or boast about ourselves.
• Charity is not puffed up ~ If we love our spouse, then we won't feel as though we are better than them. We won't be haughty and highminded.
• Charity doth not behave itself unseemly ~ If we love our spouse, we won't behave in an unbecoming manner.
• Charity seeketh not her own ~ If we love our spouse, then we won't always be seeking our own wants.
• Charity is not easily provoked ~ If we love our spouse, then we won't be easily exasperated at them. Which makes it that much harder to become angry at them.
• Charity thinketh no evil ~ If we love our spouse, then we will not think evil of them.
• Charity rejoiceth not in iniquity ~ If we love our spouse, then we will not be happy in doing morally wrong to them.
• Charity rejoiceth in truth ~ If we love our spouse, then we will want to be truthful to them.
• Charity beareth all things ~ If we love our spouse, then we will patiently suffer in silence when they hurt our feelings and such.
• Charity believeth all things ~ If we love our spouse, we will trust in them.
• Charity hopeth all things ~ Pretty much the same as believing.
• Charity endureth all things ~ Again, pretty much the same as bearing.
• Charity never faileth ~ If we love our spouse, we will never give up on them. We will never stop loving them.

Verse 11: "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things."
   When you are a child, you do childish things. You fight and argue and pout. When you are older, you need to put those childish behaviors behind you.

Verse 13: "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity."
   In a marriage, as well as our daily lives, faith in each other, and God; hope in each other, and God; and love for each other, and God, are all very important. But love is the most important of all.

Chapter 14, verses 34&35: "Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. 
 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church."
   God specifically says, we are not speak in the church. If we don't understand someting, we are ask our husbands later. It is a shame for us to speak in the church.

Chapter 15, verse 58: "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."
   As Christians, we are to stand firm in what we believe. We need to not let others dictate what we should or should not believe. We need to do as God says.

Chapter 16, verses 13&14: "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.
 Let all your things be done with charity."
   We need to be on guard, hold to our faith, be strong, and do all things with love.

The next chapters will be Isaiah 34-39.