Working Clothes of Love (1)

The concept of love in our modern American society is so very distorted from the truth. It ranges somewhere between the Hollywood version that is nothing more than fleshly lust to the smarmy Kodak version of love we see in television commercials, e.g., a man and a woman walking their dog on the beach in the early morning sun. Both versions create false expectations in our relationships that we have one with another. In its very essence, love is selfless labor on behalf of others. Paul summarized it as this in his letter to the church at Rome, “Love worketh no ill to his neighbor, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:10). More pointedly, love puts my neighbor’s interests above my own.

We all have trouble with expressing love rightly because we are all very selfish at heart. Only the gospel of Christ can deliver us from self-love and enable us to love others in a manner that reflects true, God-honoring love. Paul, writing to those gospel believers in Corinth, spent much time describing the working clothes of love to show them expressly what love looks like in its truest form.

Following his exhortation to longsuffering and kindness, he writes “love envieth not, love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up” (I Corinthians 13:4). Despite what may seem familiar to us, we do well to take a moment to put some flesh on the bones of his teaching.

Envy is any wrong feeling that is excited or stirred as you view of the good of others. We all know what that feeling is like – someone gets recognized in the office newspaper, commended for a job well done, or promoted to a new position. That disappointment for ourselves that lingers unto resentment is envy. It is rooted in pride and self-love. We may force a smile, extend the hand, stumble through congratulatory remarks, but the feeling lingers. That is envy. It is sin. It is the opposite of love.

Contrast envy with the matter of vaunting one’s self. We do not use the word “vaunt” much in our current English language. It is defined as every form of the desire to gain the applause of others. Think of the reach of that definition – every form. Without a doubt that desire comes in many and various forms and every one of them is contrary to true love. Who among us does not desire laudatory recognition, i.e. to be singled out from others? Who among us genuinely resists that pursuit?

Paul concludes this portion of his instruction with the simple testimony that love “is not puffed up.” There is no drawn-out, grad school definition for this phrase. It means conceited. We all tend to view ourselves quite charitably. If we are mindful of our faults at all, we let them rest quietly at the back of our minds where they do not bother us. Paul wrote in another epistle that we should not think of ourselves more highly than we ought, but to think soberly in view of God’s grace unto us (Romans 12:3). Even so, we nonetheless struggle.

Love for others requires deliverance from our own selfish ways. Only the grace of God can give such deliverance. Let us seek to walk in true love. Let us know the gospel of God’s grace to make this love real in and through us.

Randy Livingston serves as a chaplain for a local police department. He writes devotionals for his ministry which also appear at his blog, From the Chaplain. We republish this post by permission.