"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself; is not puffed up;"
1 Corinthians 13:4 (NKJV)
There are many different kinds of parades. There are 4th of July Parades, Veteran's Day Parades, Thanksgiving Day Parades, and even a Circus Parade. In 4th of July Parades, there are always a lot of flags and symbols of the USA, for Veteran's Day Parades, there are a lot of military things involved. But, wouldn't it be strange for there to be things from the Thanksgiving Day Parade in the 4th of July Parade? And wouldn't it be odd for things from the Circus Parade to be in the Veteran's Day Parade? The answer of course is yes, those things would be inappropriate, they would be in the wrong parade.
In 1 Corinthians 13, we have a detailed description of what love is. In the New King James Version of the Bible, it says in verse 4 that "love does not parade itself". The word "parade" used here literally means "to boast", with the idea of boasting about oneself. We learn that if we are walking in love we will not focus on ourselves, telling others about what we have done and putting our own deeds or character on display. This is where I like the use of the word "parade". If we are walking in love we do not make a parade out of what we have done, but we might do that for others.
It is never a good thing to brag about yourself, talk like that is self-centered and arrogant. But, what if we know of someone else who has done something deserving of praise? Would it be good, and walking in love, to let someone know that what they did was good and appreciated? Instead of focusing on ourselves and hoping someone will notice us, what if we would pay attention to others and look for opportunities to share and promote what they have done and point out their good deeds? That is what love would do, love does not focus on itself, it looks for ways to say good things about, and promote, others.
1 Corinthians 13:4 (NKJV)
There are many different kinds of parades. There are 4th of July Parades, Veteran's Day Parades, Thanksgiving Day Parades, and even a Circus Parade. In 4th of July Parades, there are always a lot of flags and symbols of the USA, for Veteran's Day Parades, there are a lot of military things involved. But, wouldn't it be strange for there to be things from the Thanksgiving Day Parade in the 4th of July Parade? And wouldn't it be odd for things from the Circus Parade to be in the Veteran's Day Parade? The answer of course is yes, those things would be inappropriate, they would be in the wrong parade.
In 1 Corinthians 13, we have a detailed description of what love is. In the New King James Version of the Bible, it says in verse 4 that "love does not parade itself". The word "parade" used here literally means "to boast", with the idea of boasting about oneself. We learn that if we are walking in love we will not focus on ourselves, telling others about what we have done and putting our own deeds or character on display. This is where I like the use of the word "parade". If we are walking in love we do not make a parade out of what we have done, but we might do that for others.
It is never a good thing to brag about yourself, talk like that is self-centered and arrogant. But, what if we know of someone else who has done something deserving of praise? Would it be good, and walking in love, to let someone know that what they did was good and appreciated? Instead of focusing on ourselves and hoping someone will notice us, what if we would pay attention to others and look for opportunities to share and promote what they have done and point out their good deeds? That is what love would do, love does not focus on itself, it looks for ways to say good things about, and promote, others.
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