1 Corinthians 13:4-5/ Love Does Not Insist on Its Own Way

1 Corinthians 13:4-5/ Love Does Not Insist on Its Own Way

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;" 1 Corinthians 13:4-5

 These words are commonly used at weddings. And while they are incredibly helpful in marriages, Paul did not have a wedding in mind when he wrote these Spirit-inspired words. Originally, He was writing to a church in Corinth that was learning how Spiritual gifts were meant to build up the church and not cause division.  Without love, according to Paul, we are nothing and we gain nothing. Here are the three verses prior to our passage above:

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

 Love is the sinew holding many gifted individuals together as one body in the church. And a key facet of love is that it does not insist on its own way. This means that at times we must all be willing to compromise for the sake of the greater good when differences arise. 

 It is like going to get pizza with 10 friends. Each person has his own idea of the perfect pizza, with different crusts, sauces, toppings and cheese. Normally, with some compromise perhaps, 10 people could order 5 pizzas and everyone would be filled. But what if each person insisted on his own way? You would have to order 10 pizzas for 10 people, and that would be a waste of pizza and money. 

 When it comes to the church, there could be 100 different people with 100 different opinions on what type of lighting the stage should have. Or what type of songs we should sing. Or where the information table should be. Or what type of events we should do. Or what ministries we should start. You see the issue the church would have if every person insisted on his own way, we would never get anything done because we could never go 100 different directions at one time. 

 And often times, people gravitate to their giftings; great evangelists want to see more evangelism ministry, great people of faith want to take more risks, and people with great wisdom want to take less risks. Paul is saying that love for one another must take precedent over insistence on getting our way based on our giftings. Our giftings should not determine how we function in the church, our love for one another should. 

And love can unite the church despite many modern day issues that could potentially cause division:

 What Covid precautions to take … 
How to approach social issues … 
When to spend money …
What methods of ministry ..
What style of worship …

 You ask 100 people what they prefer and you may get 100 different answers on each of these topics. So, what unites us despite our varying opinions? Love, according to Paul. And love does not insist on its own way. 

 Belonging to the body of Christ, we must be ok with things not going our way all the time.  This is very counter-cultural in a world where, with a sense of entitlement, everyone states their demands with no willingness to compromise. Not insisting on our own way is a witness to the world that we belong to Jesus, and it is much needed aspect of love that fosters unity in the church.

 Jesus said, "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35

 If you want to dig deeper into this, need help, need prayer, or have questions—please reach out to us here: Roots Help & Prayer Form 

 In Christ, 

 Pastor Kevin