"does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;"
1 Corinthians 13:5 (NKJV)
Have you ever met someone who remembers the score from some sporting event, or the last time their team played a certain opponent? Then, the next time that important type of game comes up, or when the other opponent is mentioned, that person remembers exactly what happened in the last game, what the score was, and they can even tell you about specific parts of the game. That can just be a dedicated sports fan, or it can be someone who is obsessed with something in the past. It is one thing to be a sports fan and have a favorite team, but often past games and scores are better left in the past.
People want to remember the good things in life, and to forget the bad things, usually. But some people will keep in mind something that someone else did, that offended them or actually hurt them, and the person who was offended or hurt will remember that thing more than they should. Everyone has been offended and hurt by someone else, but if we are keeping track of the wrong things people have done, and in some way we are keeping "score" with exactly what happened, when it happened, and how terrible it was, that is the kind of thing that can develop into a serious problem.
In 1 Corinthians 13:5, we see that one of the characteristics of the God kind of love is that it "thinks no evil." The word "thinks" here, in the NKJV of 1 Corinthians 13:5, means to take an inventory, with the idea of "counting up" something, like someone would keep score in some sporting event. If we are going to walk in love, where we are fulfilling the will of God, living in the blessings of God, and being helpful to other people, we will need to learn to forget about past wrongs, accidental or intentional, and walk in love towards others. We need to stop keeping score and start walking in the God kind of love.
1 Corinthians 13:5 (NKJV)
Have you ever met someone who remembers the score from some sporting event, or the last time their team played a certain opponent? Then, the next time that important type of game comes up, or when the other opponent is mentioned, that person remembers exactly what happened in the last game, what the score was, and they can even tell you about specific parts of the game. That can just be a dedicated sports fan, or it can be someone who is obsessed with something in the past. It is one thing to be a sports fan and have a favorite team, but often past games and scores are better left in the past.
People want to remember the good things in life, and to forget the bad things, usually. But some people will keep in mind something that someone else did, that offended them or actually hurt them, and the person who was offended or hurt will remember that thing more than they should. Everyone has been offended and hurt by someone else, but if we are keeping track of the wrong things people have done, and in some way we are keeping "score" with exactly what happened, when it happened, and how terrible it was, that is the kind of thing that can develop into a serious problem.
In 1 Corinthians 13:5, we see that one of the characteristics of the God kind of love is that it "thinks no evil." The word "thinks" here, in the NKJV of 1 Corinthians 13:5, means to take an inventory, with the idea of "counting up" something, like someone would keep score in some sporting event. If we are going to walk in love, where we are fulfilling the will of God, living in the blessings of God, and being helpful to other people, we will need to learn to forget about past wrongs, accidental or intentional, and walk in love towards others. We need to stop keeping score and start walking in the God kind of love.
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