I just want to start today off by telling you all a little bit about my KJV Bible. It is a Rainbow study Bible. Every verse is color coded:
PURPLE God--the Father; the Son, Jesus Christ; the Holy Spirit
ORANGE Discipleship--Obedience; praise
GREEN Love-- joy; kindness
PEACH Faith--prayer; miracles
GREY Sin--evil; judgment of the ungodly
BLACK Satan--false teachers; idolatry
BLUE Salvation--blessings; deliverance
YELLOW Family--genealogies; marriage
PINK Witnessing--teaching; counseling
LIGHT GREEN Commandment--offerings; law
TAN Prophesy--promises; covenants
My Bible also has an introduction at the beginning of every book. And a small introduction at the beginning of every chapter. Part of the introduction of 1 Corinthians says:
"AUTHOR: Paul the Apostle.
TITLE: From Paul's first recorded letter the the church at Corinth.
BACKGROUND: The Roman general Mummius destroys the Greek city of Corinth in the second century BC but Julius Caesar restores the city in about 46 BC. Corinth, located on the Mediterranean, becomes the commercial and economic hub of Greece. This wealthy cosmopolitan center of about 700,000 people soon sets the standard for immorality and licentiousness. It is in this perverse environment that Paul establishes the church at Corinth while there for over a year-and-a-half on his second missionary journey...but soon after Paul's departure severe evils and factions threaten the stability and very existence of the church.
TO WHOM: The church at Corinth
CONTENT: The household of Chloe has reported to Paul strife in the church at Corinth. The church sends a delegation of 3 men with a letter to Paul that seeks his wisdom on several concerns and questions the church has...."
And the introduction for Chapter 13 says:
"Faith, hope, and love (charity), but the greatest of these is love."
A friend of mine was so kind as to have given me some Greek and Hebrew words for "love" to work with. Those words are:
STORGE (storgae) which is a natural affection for that which belongs to me
Eros (arrows) which is a physical attraction generated by particular appearance
Phileo (phil-a-O) which is an affection/warm feeling that comes from what is shared together
Agape (agapae) which is unconditional love
1 Cor 13: 1-8 are colored green in my bible and say:
"Though I speak with tongues of men and angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophesy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth..."
The word charity is mentioned here as a form of love. Charity is mentioned 28 times in the Bible. They are all in the New Testiment:
1 Cor 8:1, 1 Cor 13: 1-8,13, 1 Cor 14:1, 16:14; Col 3:14 1 Thes 3:6; 2 Thes 1:3; 1 Tim 1:5, 1 Tim 2:15; 1 Tim 4:12; 2 Tim 2:22, 2 Tim 3:10; Titus 2:2; 1 Pet 4:8; 1 Pet 5:14; 2 Pet 1:7; 3 Jn 6; Jude 12; Rev 2:19
Charitably is mentioned once in Romans 14:15.
Using the Greek dictionary (New Testament) Charity is AGAPE (unconditional love) which is from AGAPAO which means to love in a social or moral sense. It also comes from PLILEO which is to be a friend to (fond of), to have affection for (denoting personal attachment) whicle AGAPAO is wider embraced. The two stand very closely related to THELO or ETHELO which is to choose or prefer (literally or figuratively) be inclined to (something adv. gladly) for the future tense, to be about to; by Hebrew to delight in.
There were also 5 other words mentioned that were linked to the five already mentioned. They are THELESIS (thel-ee-sis) which is from THELO meaning determination. THUMOS which is from the word THOU (thoo-o) meaning: to sacrifice. NOUS which is the intelect, the mind (divine or human; in thought, feeling or will; understanding which also comes from the word PSUCHE which is the rational or immortal soul which comes from the Hebrew word NEPHESH (neh-fesh) which means: a breathing creature (heart, life, mind, soul, +us, +you).
From all this information we have here I think that what Paul was saying in 1 Cor 13 was that charity (love) is a brotherly (Christian) love and that it is in our minds and hearts. Just like Debi said in the Help Meet book: That our thoughts towards our husbands can determine how we feel towards them. We must "thinketh not evil" about anyone or anything. I think that he was also saying that with out this love (charity) he was nothing.
Sometimes the hardest thing for me to do when a stranger was rude or even if someone has disrespected me is to think nice thoughts about them ( feel brotherly love for them). I challenge us all to practice perfecting your charity.
1 Cor 13:4 " Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up."
A friend was telling me today about how her pastor was teaching on these same verses last weeks and he told the congregation to put their names in place of charity. Lets try it here as our "pre-practice"
"_______ suffereth long, and is kind; ______________ envieth not; ____________ vaunteth not themselves and is not puffed up."
I will most likely continue on the "love" path for many more weeks as there are so many different meanings for each of them. For example, just for the word love there are 19 different words used in Hebrew and Greek. Not to mention, loved, loveth, loving, lovingkindness, loveth, lovest, loves, love's, lovers.......and the list goes on.
I pray this has been as much an inspiration for you all as it has been for me.
Dear Lord, I come to you with praise today for allowing me to be here sharing this message with these loving and wonderful women. I pray that you will bring a renewing Spirit to each of us as we go about our daily lives. And help us Father to practice our loving charity towards our husbands, friends, and strangers alike. Bless us with your wisdom to be good helpmeets and to shine with your Glory! Thank you Father!! In Jesus' name we pray,
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