Love Bears All
Scripture Reading - 1 Corinthians 13:7 KJV
(Love) Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
We are studying Thee Person of Love which is God Himself. We are learning that certain attributes of God need to be present in His Children so that we can accurately represent Jesus Christ the Blessed Son of God. We have also learned that certain negative behaviors are not a part of God’s Nature nor are they a part of God’s Plan for man. In a previous lesson we spoke of God not being “ill-mannered” or “acting inappropriately” and another thing we talked about is God not being “Selfish”. We also taught on God not being “easily provoked” to anger and/or an unwise response. We learned from a previous lesson that God doesn’t think evil so neither should we. We have also spoken on God being displeased with sin (iniquity and wickedness). In another lesson we spoke on God rejoicing (delighting) in all truth. In today’s lesson we will cover “Love bearing all things.” The word “bear” has several meaning all the way from being supportive to bringing forth to repeating some information in the sense of acting as another record or as another witness. However, in this context we believe the scripture to mean God being supportive or undergirding something simply because we have other scriptures that emphasize the same principle. The general meaning of the word “bear” is to hold up or support, to sustain or be capable of sustaining, to suffer; to endure, or to carry. An example of this can be found in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 27 verse 32 where Simon, a man of Cyrene, was compelled to “bear” the Cross of Jesus. Now, not just Simon is called to carry the Cross of Jesus but all believers are called to carry the Cross of Jesus for certain times in their life. The difference between “bearing (carrying)” the cross of Jesus compared to your own cross is that all shame and burden you bear in His Name has to do with bearing the Cross of Jesus Christ. However, when you need to crucify your flesh (your physical body) from the lust of the flesh that involves placing your selfish nature and desires upon the altar of sacrifice as surrendering to God that is “bearing (carrying, lifting)” the burden of your own cross. We all know that Jesus Christ “bore (carried)” the enormous sin burden for all mankind according to Hebrews 9:28 which states, “So Christ was once offered to “bear” the sins of many”. It is easy to understand the foundational truths of the Holy Bible concerning Jesus but what about us? Are we too called to “bear” the sins or problems of others? The correct answer is “Yes” according to Galatians 6:2 which states, “Bear you one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ”. The Law of Christ is the law of Love which means we will have to “carry (bear)” both the sins of others and sometimes the problems of others too. Let us separate the two, first the reason we have to bear the sins of others is because people will sin against God and also against us. However, we cannot run and hide but we must be strong in the Lord and in the Power of His Mighty to withstand any and all attacks against us, our church, our family, our friends or any love one. Some of these attacks will be very personal but in the power of God that works within the faithful believer we can “bear (handle)” it. There will also be times where the sin isn’t pointed directly at us but because someone in our life practices sin on a regular basis we will have to “bear” this burden also. Yes, we (ihlcc) do realize it is a burden because whenever we have to look upon sin it is typically a grievous problem (issue, item) in our heart. God cannot look upon sin so it is perfectly understandable why we prefer not to look upon sin either. Secondly, the personal problems (sometimes referred to as weights or cares) are also our burden to “bear (carry)” but we must learn how to carry them properly. What we (ihlcc) mean by that is if you carry all the load in your own strength you are creating more problems for yourself. You should never personally and emotional “carry (bear)” what was meant for the Lord Jesus to spiritually carry. Remember, since Jesus Christ has already “bore” the sins and problems (weights, worries, cares) of all mankind we must become experts at removing a personal burden from someone else to place swiftly upon the Lord, if they are willing to part with that care. Remember the scripture teaches us to cast all your cares upon the Lord in 1 Peter 5:7a. Why would you need to do that? Simply because the next statement in that same verse states, “because He (The Lord Jesus) cares for you”. God realizes that if you try (yes, we did say try) to carry the burden of sin(s) and the problem(s) of others without God’s Grace you will fall (yes, fail) due to the large amount of pressure (and weight) sins and worries (cares) produce. A note about the Lord “bearing” all things is that He, our Father God and our Lord Jesus Christ, “bears long” with us too according to Luke 18:7 because we know we don’t always perform everything perfectly according to God’s Will. So rest assured that God will always cut you some slack if your heart is right with Him. Likewise the scripture tell us in Romans 15:1, “We then that are strong ought to “bear” the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” Notice it did say, “those that are strong” to emphasize that all believers have the potential to become strong in the Lord and in the Power of His Might if they feed upon God’s Word and stay full of God’s Holy Spirit over the duration of time. So please realize dear beloved of God that even though the strong are called to “bear (carry)” the burdens of another not everyone can “bear” your own personal burdens because they might not be strong, so take them (your own person sins, problems and concerns) directly to Lord Jesus Christ because He is built to take them, for “He bears all things”, our God is very, very, very strong. Know with all confidence that the Holy Word of God combined with the Holy Spirit of God will make you stronger to “bear” the burdens (sins and personal problems) of others so that you can place even more on shoulders of Jesus Christ. Notice in 1 Corinthians 3:2 the Apostle Paul fed the believers with milk, not meat (deeper revelations of truth) because they were not able to “bear” it, go and do likewise only share the basic truths of God’s Word with those around you because they might not be able to “bear” the deeper things of God while you let the Pastor’s and elders of the local church share the meats of God’s Word with those of the same flock. 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us that, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer (allow) you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to “bear” it.” So don’t fret and don’t fall dear Child of God because in Christ Jesus you shall be able to “bear all things” that come against you just like God your Heavenly Father and His Precious Son our Lord and Savior, the very strength of our life, Jesus Christ. Amen!