Love Endures All
Scripture Reading - 1 Corinthians 13:7 KJV
Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, (Love) 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. We previously learned that Love bears all things by carrying our sins, problems and even our concerns and we learned that love constantly believes in all things pertaining to God’s Will, God’s Word and God’s Ways. We have studied that Love’s biblical hope is based upon the word of God with faith as its foundation. In today’s lesson we will highlight “Love Enduring all things.” When thinking about “endurance” several thoughts come to mind because “endurance” means to be able to bear pain, withstand hardship and adversity, it also means to be long lasting in good character through the duration of the storm (so to speak). Some mention that “endurance” is being able to bear sin patiently or tolerate the wrong doings of others. A definition that we (ihlcc) like is “to be consistent in displaying Godly fruit in the full measure while in the midst of the battle or test or trial (temptation)”. Now as Christians we are prepared for battle (or at least we should be) so it is no small wonder why “godly endurance” is necessary. We are told right off the bat to be a true discipline of the Jesus Christ you must be willing to suffer like Jesus. Yes, all who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution according to 2 Timothy 3:12. When we think about what Jesus had to do when suffering the sins of the whole world we know in our heart that He made the ultimate sacrifice. We (ihlcc) are so thankful to God for coming up with a plan for our salvation through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus not only “endured” the cross but He impressively lived on this earth without sin before he carried His cross. Jesus as our example lived a victorious life that included “enduring” the sins of others and suffering the sins of others for the sake of God’s plan to win all men. Likewise, we too are called to “endure” the people on this earth who present to us problems, temptations and challenges. Truthfully speaking this might not always be people that we have to “endure” but life on this earth requires that we “endure” spiritual battles also. The attacks of enemy come to all mankind but the key is we have the strength of God inside of us to overcome all the temptations, test and tribulations we encounter in our Christian walk on this earth. Yes, too many times people hear about the manifold blessings of God but people don’t usually mention “endurance” as one of those blessings. If the word “endurance” is not mentioned in the favorable context of being a blessing we can overlook it as a very real and profitable solution to the issues we face in the earth. Yes, what we (ihlcc) are saying is that, “we would all do well to take time each day to thank God for giving us godly endurance”. We don’t need to pray for God to give us “endurance” we just need to recognize that we have it (endurance) and operate in it (in Him). Since our all wise Father God knew that we would need this power to joyfully and peacefully overcome the negative forces in this earth He (The Lord) included it in our Born Again package. We read in today’s scripture reference that “Love endures all things” so why should it be any different for the Children of Love. Yes, “Love endures all things” so we can conclude every spiritual battle can be “endured”, every mental challenge can be “endured” and every natural problem can be “endured” also. We need to recognize that everything we face on this earth can be “endured” by the believer who trusts in God and understands their strength in Christ Jesus. We are told in Ephesians 6:10 to be strong in the Lord and in the Power of His Might. This basically means that we need to be strong in God’s strength not our own strength. Yes, when the scripture states the Power of His Might it is referring to God’s unlimited Power of Might, not our own little might. This makes all the difference in the world when you realize that we (all believers) have the Greater One living inside of you and He is always full of strength and mighty power. Yes, we are built to “endure all” hardships but we must look to the Lord for our help. One might say, “Ihlcc how do we “endure” with God’s endurance?” That is a very good question and we are glad you asked it. The key in our opinion is being able to stay focused on the promise of God that gives you the victory while casting the care of the battle unto the Lord. Another way of saying the same thing is to think and speak God’s Word only over your situation and don’t ever fear defeat. Why? Because our adversary, the devil, feeds upon fear and doubt so don’t give him any ammo to work with. If you are uneducated concerning God’s Word you will be at a great disadvantage but you can fix that by studying God’s Word on every problem you encounter. Thank God any revelation we receive from God is always reusable for ourselves and/or others. Also, we (as Children of God) must be able to joyfully thank God for giving us the victory though the shed Blood of Jesus Christ. Just knowing that Jesus Christ has already won the ultimate battle over evil for all mankind over two thousand (2000) years ago should give us supernatural peace because we know winning is no problem for Jesus (our Savior). Now we must keep our mind (our thoughts) and our eyes (the study of the scripture) upon Him to fully receive the revelation that this battle is already won in Christ Jesus. Therefore, I must stay in my proper position in Him so I can “endure all” adversity and yes I shall “endure all things” in the Awesome Name of Jesus with the fruit of the Spirit in full manifestation. Amen!