Avoiding Disgraceful Behavior!

On the suggestion of our pastor’s sermon on Sunday morning, I have begun reading the entire chapter of I Corinthians 13 first thing every morning.  There are only 13 verses in the chapter and would make for fairly quick reading… if it wasn’t filled up with so much substance!

It has been difficult for me to get through each line without uttering a lot of Oooh’s, Wow’s, Oh Me’s and Oh My’s!  Then I find myself pouring over my many translations, concordances and Greek/English dictionaries to further define the different themes, specific words and many concise statements.  Today I found myself deeply embedded in I Corinthians 13:5 where Paul wrote:

“LOVE does not behave disgracefully, does not seek its own, is not provoked to anger, thinks no evil;”   (EMTV)

The fist thought that caught my attention was the initial phrase that, “LOVE does not behave disgracefully.”  As I looked up the meaning of the word “DISGRACEFULLY” I couldn’t help but cringe, take a deep breath and look for a tissue in case I began to tear up… with the remembrances of my personal involvement with that behavior… being on the receiving end that is!

As one might think, Strong’s and Mounce’s Greek Dictionaries define the action of the word as one who “acts unbecomingly, does not keep with good taste and propriety and is improper.”  A secondary definition was “to behave in a manner open to censure.”

For most of us, I believe this outlandish behavior in the midst of a very difficult and emotional situation is almost unbearable… and again… for most of us… unthinkable!  But the next phrase gives us the reason for how such behavior is possible.  Paul simply explains that Godly, Christian LOVE “does not seek its own!”  And that statement brings me over to the letter to the Roman church where Paul stated,

“Those who are motivated by the flesh only pursue what benefits themselves. But those who live by the impulses of the Holy Spirit are motivated to pursue spiritual realities.”  (TPT)

From my experience over the years in life and in ministry, the first part of Romans 8:5 is talking about individuals who have given their heads and hearts over to fear.  Depending on the translation you read, Galatians 5:6 tells us that our faith works by or is expressed through LOVE.  So, it makes sense that without LOVE we have NO FAITH and without FAITH we are easily taken over by the self-preservation tendencies of FEAR!  And FEAR causes individuals to act in non-sensical, unbecoming, unstable and many times… unthinkable ways!

One of the many factors that led me to move Piper and I across the country to North Carolina to be near our oldest daughter when we did in 2014, was to physically separate us from the non-sensical and depressing environment that kept bombarding us in California.  And like I said before… IT WORKED… and gave us/me an opportunity to re-establish us in a quiet, physically beautiful atmosphere of peace, of focused faith in the Word of God and in joyfully ministering to Piper and her growing needs... By surrounding her with LOVE… without the unwanted and unhealthy encroaching effects of FEAR.

So, what more can I say?  I agree with the Apostle Paul!  God’s standard of Christian LOVE never acts in a way that is disgraceful to God, disgraceful to the people around us or even is disgraceful to ourselves… in fact Jesus taught that it is impossible to love others without first loving ourselves!   But that is another subject for another blog post!

Suffice to say, I want to live my life in such a way that when people see me, they see a “LOVE in action that is,

“Large and incredibly patient. A LOVE that is gentle and consistently kind to all. One that refuses to be jealous when blessing comes to someone else, does not brag about one’s achievements nor inflate its own importance, does not traffic in shame and disrespect, nor selfishly seek its own honor. A LOVE that is not easily irritated or quick to take offense.”  (TPT personalized)

And I bet that there is no one out there reading this today who doesn’t desire the same thing for themselves! 

Am I right? 

I hope and pray that you are having a fantastic week!  I’m thinking that our weather here today is just like the weather that Piper and all our loved ones who have gone on before us, are experiencing in heaven… currently at 73 degrees with a high of 80 forecasted!  And YES!  You’re Right… I’m wearing shorts and looking forward to Daylight Savings Time beginning in just a few weeks!

Be blest and let the LOVE of God flow through your life today… and as you do… Keep EXPECTING and sharing God’s best!