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(Continued from page 21 )
True love answers the advo–
cates of permissive morality:
" [lt]
is the will of God ... that every
one of you should know how to
possess his vessel [wife] in sanc–
tification and
honour,
not in the
lust of concupiscence [wrong sex–
ual passions and abuses], even as
the Gentiles [or anyone else]
which
know not God"
( I Thessa–
lonians 4:3-5).
More Than Human Strength
Requlred
True love is, first, !ove toward
God, the Creator, the author of
every good gift. He offers human
beings the fantastic opportunity
to enter the Family of God. True
!ove is then toward others.
Love is respecting your own
potential-and others' poten–
tial- as sons of God. Love is
striving with God's mighty spiri–
tual help to grow in maturity and
wisdom.
lt
is wanting to glorify
God in your mind and body
(I
Corinthians 6:20).
Love is helping and encourag–
ing others, with a special empha–
sis on those called by God at this
time (Galatians 6:10). Love is not
casting stumblingblocks or asper–
sions before the weak in faith or
the ignorant (Romans 14: 13).
The fulfillment of that kind of
love is not possible by human
strength alone. lt requires God's
Spirit flowing in human minds.
But God's Spirit is given only to
those willing to obey God (Acts
5:32). The receiving of God's
Holy Spirit only comes after real
repentance of one's sins, faith
toward God, and water baptism
(immersion) as a sign of one's
burial of the old sinful ways.
Then comes the lifelong pro–
cess of growing spiri tually and
testing one's character and !ove.
There will be many trials and
difficulties in changing from your
old selfish habits and ways (Acts
14:22). But by daily throwing
yourself on God's merey and
power, the fruits of God's Spirit
will increase: !ove, joy, peace,
patience, kindness·, goodness,
30
faithfulness, gentleness, self-con–
t rol (Galatians 5:22-23 RSY).
True !ove is not, as so many
believe today, "freedom to do
your own thing.' ' " [True] !ove is
the fulfilling of the law"- God's
immutable laws and great pur–
pose for human life (Romans
13:10).
The Search Ends
Where is the !ove that will last
after all the material riches, suf–
fering and heartaches of this
wor1d perish? Here is perfect
love:
"lf 1 speak with the eloquence
of men and of angels, but have no
[godly] !ove, 1 become no more
than blaring brass or crashing
cymbal.
If
1 have the gift of
foretell ing the future and hold in
my mind not only all human
knowledge, but the very secrets of
God, and if l also have that
absolute faith which can move
mountains, but have no !ove [that
is, do not express love to others in
lawful serving, helping and shar–
ing] , 1 amount to nothing at all. lf
1 dispose of all that 1 possess, yes,
even if
1
give my own body to be
burned, but have no !ove,
1
achieve precisely nothing.
"This !ove of which
1
speak is
slow to lose patience- it looks for a
way of being constructive.
It
is not
possessive: it is neither anxious to
impress nor does it cherish inftated
ideas of its own importance.
"Love has good manners and
does not pursue selfish advantage.
1t is not touchy. 1t does not
compile statistics of evil or gloat
over the wickedness of other
people. On the contrary, it is g lad
with all good men when Truth
prevai ls.
"Love knows no limit to its
endurance, no end to its trust [in
God], no fading of its hope; it can
outlast anything. It is, in fact, the
one thing that sti ll stands when
all else has fallen....
" In this life we [true Chris–
tians] have three great lasting
qualities- faith, hope and !ove.
But the greatest of them is !ove"
(1 Corinthians 13,
J.
B. Phillips
translation). o
What day is it?
Different re/lglons observe dlfferent
holldsys but
...
SUN
MON
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