God’s Greatest Poem

God’s Greatest Poem

Please read this whole post so you don't misunderstand where I am going with this devotional.

God gives each of us (mankind) one or more talents; talents we can squander on ourselves, for the world, or use for God's glory. If we come to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, the Bible teaches the Holy Spirit also gives us spiritual gifts to be used to build up and strengthen our fellow believers.

One talent I have had since I was a child was the ability to play with words and make a poem out of them. Granted, I do not consider most of the poetry written before I came to the Lord to be worth much in the eyes of eternity, nor when compared to the poems I have written since I have gotten saved. Now I use my spiritual gifts (exhortation and teaching) to make my natural talent better and to make a difference in the lives of those around me, especially to edify my brethren and remind them of the promises of God.

Truly, my talent and gifts in this area would be nowhere near as good (if that is an appropriate word to use) without the input of my Christian friends throughout the years. Friends such as my webpartner, Angela Trenholm, who has helped me make so many poems better - including helping me rewrite It's Only After and Just As I Was. My sister, Lori, whom I can tell when she doesn't like the wording of a line here and there. But it is such a pleasure to see when something I write touches her heart and draws her closer to the Lord. There are also the many friends from my Bible study group and my church who have helped iron out parts of my poems here and there.

All that being said, I'm a poet. I love expressing the truth of the Word of God through poems and songs because they affect people emotionally in a way that dry facts or doctrine itself does not - though I seek God's wisdom in each poem to make sure that every idea and phrase I use is according to the Word of God (specifically the King James Bible), because only people and the Word of God last forever. If I want God to bless my poems, it must not be some nice sounding religious idea, but a poem firmly based on the Bible.

As a poet, I am not finished with a poem completely until I get it exactly the way I want it, until it sounds pleasant to me, until I get the Scriptural ideas and promises across in a way that is clear to those I share each poem with. I want an end result that is the best I can make it - and yes, that includes taking into consideration the input of others. I want a finished poem that I can be satisfied thoroughly with and that glorifies the Lord God.

Did you know God is writing a poem too?

Ephesians 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

The word for "workmanship" is the Greek word poiema, where we get our English word poem from. According to this verse, you are God's poem!

And just like an earthly poet keeps working on each poem until he gets it exactly the way he wants it, so does God. The difference is He is the great Creator, He has all wisdom, and He absolutely loves each poem He has started. He will continue working on us until the day He takes us home to glory.

Philippians 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Isaiah 64:8  But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

In His love and wisdom, the Heavenly Potter will work in each of our lives and make the final product that He has long desired - a vessel that is transformed into honour and that brings Him eternal glory. If you have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation, believing He paid the complete penalty upon the cross when He died for your sins, know that the Risen Saviour is also working on you each day. He is the Master, the Potter, the Creator, and He has the power to transform any vessel, no matter how marred and scarred, into one that is a valuable treasure to Him.

Jeremiah 18:2-4  Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

Psalm 68:13  Though ye have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold.

Once God started the work of salvation in you, He promised that He will continue until He has the finished product before Him in Heaven. as long as we are alive, the Lord is working on each one of us.

Truly, God's greatest poem is you!

November 20th, 2024

Jerry Bouey

Under Construction

Under construction by the Lord,
Pieced together in perfect accord,
Bit by bit, each part joined carefully,
Fitted and arranged with wisdom, tenderly.

As the Holy Spirit smoothes the edges,
And transforms His vessel into honour,
These changes, blessed by God's own touch,
Are wrought by His glorious power.

When God's final product is presented,
It will have been tested and proved.
Fired in the kiln of life's afflictions,
Refined and the impurities removed.

Though I can't imagine the end result as yet,
This work of art will someday be done.
Molded by the Potter with His very hands,
Lovingly crafted into the image of His Son.

August 22nd, 1995
Jerry Bouey

An Orchard Of Delights

An Orchard Of Delights

In Song of Solomon 4 (please read the whole chapter before reading this devotional), we see the Lord Jesus Christ (pictured in the Song of Songs as Solomon) admiring the beauty of His espoused (engaged) bride (in which the individual believer and the true church collectively is pictured). In Song of Songs 4:1-5, we hear Him praising her beauty, listing seven particulars of her makeup. Matthew Henry does a great job of breaking down the symbolism for us, tracing out each symbol in this whole book and in this passage by showing how they are used elsewhere in the Word of God. There are many spiritual lessons we can glean here in regards to the believer's fellowship with her Saviour, but I am only going to focus on  a few portions of this passage in this devotional.

Notice Jesus' praise of His fiancé, His espoused bride:

Song of Songs 4:1a Behold, thou art fair, My love; behold, thou art fair...

Song of Songs 4:7 Thou art all fair, My love; there is no spot in thee.

We are perfect in the Lord's eyes, without spot or blemish. See Ephesians 1:6; 5:25-27. The seven things He praised her for show her perfection in His eyes - this is how our Heavenly Father views us when we are in Christ (which happens at the moment of our salvation, when we receive the Lord Jesus Christ, trusting in His death, burial, and resurrection, and believing that He paid the full penalty needed to save us from our sins).

Jesus/Solomon goes on to describe how the Shulamite (feminine form of the name Solomon, see Song of Songs 6:13) has captured His attention and taken His breath away:

Song of Songs 4:9-11 Thou hast ravished My heart, My sister, My spouse; thou hast ravished My heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck. How fair is thy love, My sister, My spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices! Thy lips, O My spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.

The Pulpit Commentary says the following about this verse:

"If but a portion of her beauty so overpowers, what will be the effect of the whole blaze of her perfection? As the Church advances in her likeness to her Lord, she becomes more and more the object of his delight, and as the soul receives more and more grace, so is her fellowship with Christ more and more assured and joyful."

Again, a little further in the same commentary:

"So the Lord has said, in Isaiah 62:5, that he rejoiceth over his people as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride."

Truly, this book portrays the love the Saviour has for His people - whether His people in the Old Testament, the nation of Israel, or His people in the New Testament, the church of Christ, and each individual believer that makes up His bride.

Chapter four of this Song goes on to show the lengths our Saviour will go to bring forth fruit in the lives of true believers. He considers their souls or hearts His garden that He fellowships in. We can clearly see this in the following verses:

Song of Solomon 4:12  A garden inclosed is My sister, My spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.

Song of Solomon 4:16  Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon My garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into His garden, and eat His pleasant fruits.

Song of Solomon 5:1  I am come into My garden, My sister, My spouse: I have gathered My myrrh with my spice; I have eaten My honeycomb with My honey; I have drunk My wine with My milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.

Notice that Song of Songs 4:16 and 5:1 goes from Solomon/Jesus speaking to the believer/Shulamite speaking. Every time this Song says "My love," it is Jesus speaking, and every time it says "my (well) Beloved," it is the believer speaking. Each of the two verses above start off with Jesus referring to His bride - "My sister, My spouse" - then ends with her referring to her "Beloved."

The important part I want to emphasize here is that though the believer is considered a garden, it is HIS garden - we are HIS GARDEN. The fruits we produce are produced by the Holy Spirit working in and through us. See John 15:1-5 and Galatians 5:22-23.

Now back to the Lord's garden - our hearts or souls:

Song of Solomon 4:13-15  Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard, Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices: A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.

Jesus refers to the believer as an orchard. Strong's Concordance says this about the word "orchard" used here:

Strong’s #h6508, “p̱arḏês; of foreign origin; a park: — forest, orchard.”

In the New Testament, we find a related Greek word that is used only three times - both the Hebrew word and this Greek word come from the same Persian word, "Paradise":

Luke 23:43  And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with Me in paradise.

2 Corinthians 12:2-4  I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

Revelation 2:7  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

The Strong's definition of the word "Paradise": Strong’s #g3857, “paradeisos; of Oriental origin (compare h6508); a park, i.e. (specially), an Eden (place of future happiness, “paradise”): — paradise.”

We can see from this definition that this word is related in meaning to the same OT word we were looking at from Song of Songs 4:13, "Orchard." The orchard, the believer's garden, and ultimately God's garden, is literally a Paradise to the Lord.

Webster's 1828 Dictionary: “Paradise:

PAR'ADISE, n. Gr. The garden of Eden, in which Adam and Eve were placed immediately after their creation.

1. A place of bliss; a region of supreme felicity or delight.

2. Heaven, the blissful seat of sanctified souls after death.

3. Primarily, in Persia, a pleasure-garden with parks and other appendages.”

The Garden of Eden (which means "delight, pleasure") in Genesis was created to be a garden of delight for man. There He placed man and there He provided for all their needs as they fellowshipped day by day with Him.

Genesis 2:8-9  And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. 

Though mankind sinned, God provided a way of redemption through the Lord Jesus Christ - and one day, the new heaven and new earth will basically be a restored Eden, where we will dwell forever in the presence of God (this is what the third heaven is referring to, Paradise, where the presence of God dwells - see Hebrews 9:24).

In eternity, man will dwell in a new Paradise, a new Garden of Eden/Delight, where we will delight forever in the Lord our God, forever worshipping in His presence. See Revelation 21:1-5; 22:1-5.

But now back to the passage that started this blessed train of thought:

Song of Solomon 4:13  Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard,

To recap: "Orchard" here is "Paradise" (to use the NT Greek word and the transliterated English word to emphasize this point). The Lord Jesus Christ's Garden of Delight, His Paradise, is His people! From the moment you came to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, the moment you were born again as His child, adopted into His family, accepted in the Beloved, you became His Garden of Delight, His Paradise - and just as we will forever delight in fellowship with the God who created us, gave us life and new life in Him, even so will our Saviour delight in us and in fellowship with us for eternity.

Now tell me that did not bless your soul today!

May 3rd, 2024
Jerry Bouey

Romans 8 - God Is For Us

Romans 8 - God Is For Us

In Romans 8:28, we see that our Heavenly Father God is working out all things in our lives for our good. (This is a promise only God's children can claim - those who have been born again into God's family through faith in Jesus for salvation.) The good that He is working out is to make us more like His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:28-29 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

We can take confidence in the Lord and His will for our lives, and trust Him for all that He allows or brings into our lives - because He has a purpose for everything. One verse that I often think of in relation to the above passage is:

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

I can rejoice and thank the Lord for all He allows into my life because it is all according to His will and purpose!

In light of that above fact, I know that God is for us.

1) The Holy Spirit is for us:

He will lead us and give us the assurance of our adoption as sons.

Romans 8:14-17 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together.

The Holy Spirit will help us to pray according to the will of God for our lives.

Romans 8:26-27 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

2) Our Heavenly Father is for us:

Romans 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

He has already met our greatest need (salvation), and has promised to meet all our other needs.

Romans 8:32 He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

He justifies His children (declares them not guilty in His sight).

Romans 8:33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.

3) The Son of God (The Lord Jesus Christ) is for us:

Jesus is in Heaven as our advocate and Mediator between us and our Heavenly Father; He is standing in the gap for us when we sin against Him - ready to offer forgiveness and cleansing through His shed blood.

Romans 8:34 Who is He that condemneth?* It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

*God is the only one who has the power and authority to condemn us - no one else can, but He is the one who has already justified His children, and He will never go back on His word! We can take full assurance in that!

No one and nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of Christ, nor from our Saviour Himself.

Romans 8:35-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Knowing that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all for us, we can trust God fully to carry out His perfect will in our lives. Truly He has made us more than conquerors over all the trials in our lives!

Written October 29th, 2004
Jerry Bouey

See also Romans 8:1 - Now No Condemnation

I Am Poor And Needy

I Am Poor And Needy

Do you feel poor and needy this morning?

Psalms 41:1 Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.

But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.

The interesting thing about these two verses (that are right next to each other in the Bible) is that the Lord God considers Himself blessed when He thinks about us!

Also, your Heavenly Father IS thinking about you. There’s no reason to stay discouraged or worry when He is right there to talk with and give all your burdens and cares.

Psalms 27:8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.

Song of Songs 2:14 O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.

Our Heavenly Father is saying, I was thinking about you and would be delighted if you would fellowship with Me now.

Proverbs 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.

Do you feel the same way about your Saviour? Are you delighting yourself in His Word, longing to hear from Him?

Song of Songs 8:13 Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear it.

Psalms 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

November 27, 2021
Jerry Bouey

Fervent Charity

Fervent Charity

1 Peter 4:8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

The Greek word for “fervent” is used 3 times in the NT, twice translated as “without ceasing.” Strong's gives this definition: stretched out. Metaphorically, intent, earnestly, assiduously.

A dictionary I have (Funk & Wagnalls) says "assiduous" means devoted, attentive; unremitting, persistent.

"Assiduity" (a different form of the same word): close and continuous application or effort; diligence.

"Unremitting" means “not relaxing or stopping; incessant.”

“Fervent charity” (Matthew Henry defines charity as love towards both God and man) would then be love that does not cease, that we persist in, that we do not let relax or stop. With the idea of being "stretched out", it implies that it is something we must put continuous effort into to be of lasting spiritual benefit to others. And that's the love that will enable us to cover the multitude of sins in the lives of those around us, to hide or conceal those sins rather than continually rehash them or keep bringing them to our minds or the minds of others. Matter of fact, isn't that what Jesus did to our sins? Covered them by His blood, and then washed them away so when our Heavenly Father looks at us, He doesn't see our sins and transgressions, He sees the righteousness of His Son instead. Praise the Lord for His fervent love towards us. Let's learn to show that same love to others.

June 10, 2021
Jerry Bouey

Draw Near To God

Draw Near To God

Song of Songs 1:4 Draw me, we will run after thee:
the king hath brought me into his chambers:
we will be glad and rejoice in thee,
we will remember thy love more than wine:
the upright love thee.

The above verse is a prayer or desire of the believer desiring to fellowship with her Lord.

I love how the Word of God uses the idea of God drawing us to Himself.

Firstly, through His death on the cross and the preaching of the Gospel:

John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 3:14; 12:32 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:… And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

And then seen through the Lord working in our lives:

The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying,

Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love:

therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

It is God’s love and lovingkindness by which He draws us to Himself:
Jeremiah 31:3

I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love:

and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws,

and I laid meat unto them.
Hosea 11:4

It is interesting that the drawing starts (and continues) on God’s side, yet man has the responsibility or obligation to draw near to the Lord as well. If you are a professing Christian, are you making choices in your life to draw near to God for fellowship and worship? That is the only place to abide.

James 4:7-10 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Hebrews 10:21-23 And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

Are you trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ - are you hidden in the cleft of the Rock? (See Exodus 32:12-23) Are you drawing near to your Saviour today? If so, this is what the Lord is saying to you:

O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock,

in the secret places of the stairs,

let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice;

for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.
Song of Songs 2:14 

Draw near to God - as He has drawn near to you.

May 31, 2023
Jerry Bouey

For Whom Did Christ Die?

For Whom Did Christ Die? He died:

1. For all (1 Timothy 2:6; Isaiah 53:6)

1 Timothy 2:6  Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Isaiah 53:6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

2. For every man (Hebrews 2:9; 1 Timothy 4:10)

Hebrews 2:9  But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

1 Timothy 4:10  For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.

3. For the world (John 3:16; 4:42; 2 Corinthians 5:19; 1 John 4:14)

John 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 4:42  And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

2 Corinthians 5:19  To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

1 John 4:14  And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

4. For the sins of the world (1 John 2:2)

1 John 2:2  And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

5. For the ungodly (Romans 5:6)

Romans 5:6  For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

6. For false teachers (2 Peter 2:1)

2 Peter 2:1  But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

7. For many (Matthew 20:28)

Matthew 20:28  Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

8. For Israel (John 11:50-51)

John 11:50-51  Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation;

9. For the church (Ephesians 5:25)

Ephesians 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

10. For me (Galatians 2:20)

Galatians 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Thankful For The Love Of God

At the Gospel Mission, we finished a series on Ruth, and started a couple of weeks of messages on a Giving Thanks in preparation for our Canadian Thanksgiving (which is today, October 11th). I preached the main part of this study for the lunch devotional yesterday, and added more verses today to round out it out.

Thankful For The Love Of God

Love is not an emotion (though it may effect them) - love is a choice. Love is an action verb. Always seeking the best for others.

John 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 15:13  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Romans 5:6-9  For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

When we were at our worst, God gave His best! He proved/showed/demonstrated His love to us by sending His Son to die on the cross for our sins.

1 John 4:8-10  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

1 John 4:19  We love him, because he first loved us.

We learn love through the Lord Jesus Christ's example for us - He loved us first!

Consider each point of the description of love in 1 Corinthians 13, thinking about Christ’s/God’s love as an example for us, and how our love is to be towards others and towards the Lord in return.

The word translated as charity here is the Greek word agape. It means "love," and is often referred as the deep love of God, a self-sacrificial love that desires the best for others. Matthew Henry points out that the word charity was used by the translators to indicate when they believed love towards BOTH God and man was in view in that particular verse or passage.

1 Corinthians 13:4  Charity suffereth long, - Longsuffering, forbearing. Webster's 1828 Dictionary gives this as one of his definitions for forbearance: "The exercise of patience; long suffering; indulgence towards those who injure us; lenity; delay of resentment or punishment."
 
In the Gospel Mission, we often see people at the lowest point in their lives, and there are some that are extremely difficult to handle at times - but love forbears and still reaches out to them, helping them and caring for them.

The Bible speaks in various places of God's forbearance towards us. Several references are:

Colossians 3:13-14 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

Romans 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

and is kind; - Webster’s: Kind: "1. Disposed to do good to others, and to make them happy by granting their requests, supplying their wants or assisting them in distress; having tenderness or goodness of nature; benevolent; benignant.
2. Proceeding from tenderness or goodness of heart; benevolent; as a kind act; a kind return of favors."

Real love is not just wishing others well, but putting shoe leather on our intentions and doing good to others.

Psalm 92:1-2 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,

Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

charity envieth not; - Webster's: Envy:  "v.t. [L. invideo, in and video, to see against, that is, to look with enmity.]
1. To feel uneasiness, mortification or discontent, at the sight of superior excellence, reputation or happiness enjoyed by another; to repine at another's prosperity; to fret or grieve one's self at the real or supposed superiority of another, and to hate him on that account.
2. To grudge; to withhold maliciously.
EN'VY, n. Pain, uneasiness, mortification or discontent excited by the sight of another's superiority or success, accompanied with some degree of hatred or malignity, and often or usually with a desire or an effort to depreciate the person, and with pleasure in seeing him depressed. Envy springs from pride, ambition or love, mortified that another has obtained what one has a strong desire to possess."

Love does not hate/despise someone else because of what they have or because they are better off in some way than you. The love of God in believers - produced through the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit in us - enables us to desire and work towards the best for others, just as the Lord is working out all things for good in our own lives.

Romans 5:5b ...because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

1 John 3:17-18 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

charity vaunteth not itself, - Is not boastful; doesn’t brag about themself.

is not puffed up, - Is not inflated with pride.

I have seen many in our community and even some that come through our doors that look down on others - whether these others are clients or staff at the Mission - because the image of homelessness or low income families disgusts them. That is pride - agape love cares for others and does not elevate themselves above those in need. Neither does it look down on those who are struggling with sin in their lives, knowing we are just as prone to wander, and just as much in need of the Lord's forgiveness and cleansing in our own lives. There is no place for pride in the heart of a saved individual - the ground is level at the foot of the cross.

1 Corinthians 13:5  Doth not behave itself unseemly, - Does not act in an inappropriate manner towards others.

True love will do what is right around others, will not treat them wrong or act towards them in an ungodly way.

One passage that comes to mind about our Saviour shows that He did not flip out or act inappropriately, even when dealing with lost sinners. I cringe whenever I hear shouting in the hallways where I live, where a husband and wife (or parents and children) are yelling at each other, cursing each other out, but Jesus never did that when He ministered here on earth. He showed His love towards those around Him (and still shows it towards us), even when He needed to correct their sin.

Matthew 12:18-21 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, and a smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.

seeketh not her own, - Is not selfish, self-centered, is looking out for the best for others, not simply for themself.

is not easily provoked, - Not easily exasperated with others.

Following up on the book of James (which we covered at the Mission last month), love is slow to wrath, slow to be angry or frustrated with others, slow to retaliate or respond in the same manner (leaving vengeance in the Lord's hands). Sometimes it is hard not to react badly when someone is cursing you out or dumping on you (as we sometimes say), but true love tries to react in a Christ-like manner. And, no, that does not mean we never get upset at sin or someone's bad behavior - but we learn more how to bear it and deal with it it a right way that honors the Lord and responds appropriately.

thinketh no evil; - Strong's Concordance: Thinketh: "to take an inventory, i.e. estimate...:--conclude...."
- Strong's: Evil: "worthless (intrinsically such...), that is (subjectively) depraved, or (objectively) injurious:--bad, ...harm[ful], ...wicked."

Of course, love means we should not be thinking wicked or harmful thoughts about/towards others - but I find the definition here interesting. We are not to think of others as "worthless." In this ministry, we have many coming through our doors that no longer feel they are of value to others - YET God considers them of worth, and we should too - if we claim to have love for them.

1 Corinthians 13:6  Rejoiceth not in iniquity, - Strong's: Rejoiceth: "to be full of 'cheer',... be glad."
- Strong's: Iniquity: "(legal) injustice (properly, the quality, by implication, the act); morally, wrongfulness (of character, life or act):--iniquity, unjust, unrighteousness, wrong."

Not glad for injustice done to others. There are many in our society, even on the street, that take pleasure when wrong is done to others, when someone is ripped off, when others are treated unfairly (kind of like bullies in school). Part of the definition refers to legal injustice done - we see a lot of that in our world, when a judge lets the wicked off and the righteous or innocent get charged falsely and lose what they have. Love does not rejoice in this!

but rejoiceth in the truth; - Strong's: Rejoiceth: "to sympathize in gladness, congratulate:--rejoice in (with)."
- Strong's: Truth: "true (as not concealing)."

Real love rejoiceth when the truth comes out, when the righteous and the innocent are vindicated. The Lord will right the injustices we face in life - whether now or in eternity.

Psalm 37:5-6 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

1 Peter 4:19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

1 Corinthians 13:7  Beareth all things, - Strong's: Beareth: "to roof over, i.e. (figuratively) to cover with silence (endure patiently)."

Love covers the sins of others, overlooks them, does not hold them against someone.

1 Peter 4:8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

One of the main themes of the Bible is Christ's atonement for our sins. Atonement means "to cover." Jesus' blood covers the repentant believer's sins and washes them away; therefore, they are no longer held against that believer. Only God's love can do that!

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Isaiah 43:25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

Psalm 103:10-14 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.

believeth all things, - Strong's: Believeth: "to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), i.e. credit; by implication, to entrust (especially one's spiritual well-being to Christ)."

How is your walk with the Lord? Are you growing in your faith? Love towards God is believing all that He has said.

hopeth all things, - Hope means "confident expectation."

Loving God is believing and receiving His promises - confidently expecting Him to fulfill them as He is working in your life.

endureth all things. - Strong's: Endureth: "to stay under (behind), i.e. remain; figuratively, to undergo, i.e. bear (trials), have fortitude, persevere."

Loving the Lord is enduring the trials He allows in your life - knowing every single one of them has a purpose, and one of those purposes is to make you more like your Saviour. Are you trusting in your Heavenly Father - believing all things, hoping all things, enduring all things He has planned for you?

1 Corinthians 13:8a  Charity never faileth: - Never: "Not even at any time, i.e. never at all."
- Strong's: Faileth: "to drop away; specially, be driven out of one's course; figuratively, to lose, become inefficient:--...take none effect."

God's love will NEVER, EVER fail! He will ALWAYS fulfill His work in your life. He will NEVER be driven out of course in His plan for you. His love will NEVER lose its power, NEVER become inefficient, NEVER be of no effect in your life.

When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, when His love is shed abroad in our hearts and we are actively showing that love to those around us in a Christlike and Biblical manner (emphasis on loving others in a Biblical manner, because there is much fluff in our modern thinking of love), it WILL have a lasting, powerful, transforming effect on others - just as the Lord's love has had a life changing effect on you (if you are His child).

Loving others is in accordance with obeying the Lord and following His Word - ie. loving others is doing right towards them.

1 John 5:2-3 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

2 Peter 1:3-11 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 13:13  And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Right now, faith, hope, and charity (love towards God and man) abide - they remain, are lasting, endure. In eternity, faith and hope will be done away with, they will have fulfilled their purpose. There will be no more need for faith, as we will be walking by sight, we will see our Saviour and our saved loved ones face to face. There will be no more need for hope, for confidently expecting the Lord to keep His promises, as we will see the fulfillment of all He has promised and all Bible prophecies come to pass.

However, charity - love towards God and man - will last forever. We will be dwelling in God's presence, worshipping and loving Him, and living in love with our brethren in Christ. Charity will endure forever - no wonder the greatest of these is charity (love)!

1 John 4:16-17 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect (complete), that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

Most of us are quite familiar with John 3:16, but how many of us know 1 John 3:16?

1 John 3:16  Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Are you thankful for God's love? Have you responded to it by receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour? Are you showing that love to others?

Ah, the love of God - one of my favourite themes, and one of my favorite hymns:

The Love Of God
(Lyrics: Frederick Lehman)

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.

Chorus:
O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.

When years of time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men, who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

Preached October 10th/2010
Written October 11th/2010
Jerry Bouey