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How Does Love Act?
I have heard it said that freedom is not the right to do whatever we want, but the opportunity to do what’s right.
I have a tendency to avoid tough passages that don’t apply directly to my everyday life but, rather, I choose to focus on the more encouraging parts of scripture so I can digest happy thoughts as I go about my day. With that said, this particular passage was challenging to read at times. I found myself telling Paul that I thought he was being a little harsh. You want me to hand someone over to Satan (5:5), judge others (5:3), not get married unless I BURN with passion (7:8), or try to be like you and attempt to be all things to all people (9:22)? Wait a minute, I thought. Some of these suggestions seem counterintuitive to my Christian inner monologue.
After some time, and a little soul-searching, I remembered that my freedom in Christ is not my right to do what I feel is best, but my opportunity to be more like Jesus, which is best, even when it’s tough.
Paul was writing directly to Christians in this passage, and I believe he was setting guidelines for what it means to be free in Christ in light of some tough, everyday trials. Sexual immorality, lawsuits, marriage, idols, judgment of fellow Christians; how do believers face these challenges in a culture that demands we fight for numero uno? Paul answers this in 10:31 when he says that in all we do, “do it all for the glory of God.”
As difficult as this may feel at times, these passages tell me that if I have a friend struggling with sexual immorality, to have enough compassion not to judge them; if a sister has charged me with wrongdoing, to have enough humility to reconcile at my own expense; and if my peer has interpreted scripture differently from me, and he or she is sincere in their belief, to have enough respect to build a relationship with them anyway. Essentially, I need to put others first, because that’s how love acts.
Written By Lindsay Prugh
Math Professor, Oklahoma Christian University
I have heard it said that freedom is not the right to do whatever we want, but the opportunity to do what’s right.
I have a tendency to avoid tough passages that don’t apply directly to my everyday life but, rather, I choose to focus on the more encouraging parts of scripture so I can digest happy thoughts as I go about my day. With that said, this particular passage was challenging to read at times. I found myself telling Paul that I thought he was being a little harsh. You want me to hand someone over to Satan (5:5), judge others (5:3), not get married unless I BURN with passion (7:8), or try to be like you and attempt to be all things to all people (9:22)? Wait a minute, I thought. Some of these suggestions seem counterintuitive to my Christian inner monologue.
After some time, and a little soul-searching, I remembered that my freedom in Christ is not my right to do what I feel is best, but my opportunity to be more like Jesus, which is best, even when it’s tough.
Paul was writing directly to Christians in this passage, and I believe he was setting guidelines for what it means to be free in Christ in light of some tough, everyday trials. Sexual immorality, lawsuits, marriage, idols, judgment of fellow Christians; how do believers face these challenges in a culture that demands we fight for numero uno? Paul answers this in 10:31 when he says that in all we do, “do it all for the glory of God.”
As difficult as this may feel at times, these passages tell me that if I have a friend struggling with sexual immorality, to have enough compassion not to judge them; if a sister has charged me with wrongdoing, to have enough humility to reconcile at my own expense; and if my peer has interpreted scripture differently from me, and he or she is sincere in their belief, to have enough respect to build a relationship with them anyway. Essentially, I need to put others first, because that’s how love acts.
Written By Lindsay Prugh
Math Professor, Oklahoma Christian University
About this Plan
We invite you to join us in reading through the New Testament. If you dedicate about 25 minutes to this plan every day, you will have completed the entire New Testament in 60 days! May the Lord bless you as you become "Daily Versed" and experience the Lord through His word.
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We would like to thank Oklahoma Christian University for providing this plan. For more information, please visit: http://www.oc.edu/youversion
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