Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Love Makes All the Difference

There have been more than a few angry “disputes and contests” in our home lately. That led Edwin into studying how we can teach the children how to be more loving to one another (Surely we adults will benefit from that as well!). The first place to look is the Bible, of course, and if you want to think about love you turn to I Corinthians 13. It is a straight-forward passage; though we did learn something (that perhaps should have been obvious) from consulting Calvin’s Commentary.

From John Calvin’s Commentary on the First Epistle to the Corinthians (dealing with I Corinthians 13):
“…love is also a bridle to repress quarrels, and this follows from the first two statements. For where there is gentleness and forbearance, persons in that case do not, on a sudden, become angry, and are not easily stirred up to disputes and contests.”

Basically, if we are behaving in love, that is being patient, kind, etc., we will by default not be easily angered. If we are easily angered and stirred up to quarrels, then we could not possibly be showing love to one another. Ouch! We’ve got some work to do!


I Corinthians 13:4-8,13
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. …
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

good post....my boys don't fight as much as they just pick, wrestle, rough-house (never thought I'd ever use that word), etc. and of course some times that "fun" goes too far and then tears, pain or a fight.

see you around blogland and FB ttfn, Jill