Articles
Love Believes All Things
Love Believes All Things
By Paul R. Blake
“Love believes all things” (1Cor. 13:7). It believes good things about a brother until there is clear evidence, not clear suspicion, that we should not be bearing silently with him and believing all things. There is a difference between clear evidence and suspicion that merely seems clear to us. Barnes writes: “In regard to the conduct of others, there is the disposition to put the best construction on it.” When someone says or does something, we know and love that person to the extent that we’re going to spin his or her words and actions the best way we can. We are going to view it in the best light possible, rather than begin to doubt and wonder. We are going to believe that they are actuated by good motives; they meant well, regardless of how well they expressed or conducted themselves, because we know that they mean well and intend no injury.
“There is a willingness to suppose as far as can be that what is done is done consistently with friendship, good feeling, and virtue” (Barnes). We know that our brothers and sisters did this because we know them and believe the best in them regarding this matter; we know this because we love each other. Love produces this condition because it rejoices in the happiness and virtue of others. It doesn’t judge nor is it suspicious of the virtue of others. Because of our relationship in Christ, it assumes the virtuousness of others, rejoicing over it. John wrote: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” (3John 4).
We rejoice that our fellow disciples are our fellow disciples. This joy enhances our love for them, enabling us to say: “They have the very best motives at heart; they are doing their best; they are doing this because of the goodness of our relationship.” And, we will not believe the contrary about them without irrefutable evidence. Love believes all things.
A Moments Wisdom
--Your expectations of a preacher should match your commitment as a member.
--Accountability feels like an attack when you are not ready to acknowledge how your behavior harms others.
--Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.
--Something is seriously wrong when the world is offended by everything except sin.
--The church is not a cruise ship where a few people serve everyone else who is relaxing; it is a battleship where it’s “all hands on deck,” and everyone serves the mission.
--“The opinion of 10,000 men is of no value if none of them knows anything about the subject.” (Marcus Aurelius)
--“Surely what a man does when he is in an uncomfortable situation is the best evidence for what sort of man he is.” (C. S. Lewis)
--When a father attends church services, there is a 93% chance that everyone else in the household will, too.
--Hard times create strong men; strong men create good times; good times create weak men; weak men create hard times.
--“When the whole world is running toward the cliff, the person who is running in the -opposite direction appears to have lost his mind.” (C. S. Lewis)
--“Work ethic is important because, unlike intelligence, athleticism, charisma, or any other natural attribute, it’s a choice.” (Mike Rowe)
--A fact is information minus opinion. An opinion is information plus experience. Ignorance is opinion lacking information. And stupidity is an opinion that ignores a fact.
--You don’t see faith healers working in hospitals for the same reason you don’t see psychics winning the lottery.
--“One of the most cowardly things ordinary people do is to shut their eyes to the facts.” (C. S. Lewis)
--“In some ways suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning, such as the meaning of sacrifice.” (Viktor Frankl)
--Conformity is doing what everyone else is doing, regardless of what is right. Morality is doing what is right regardless of what everyone else is doing.
--A time will come when instead of shepherds tending the flock, churches will have clowns entertaining the goats.
--Our children are not leaving the faith because the church is doing a poor job. Our children are falling away because we are asking the church to do what God designed the family to accomplish.
--When asked, “What is more important: praying or reading the Bible?” I ask, “What is more important: breathing in or breathing out?”
--Instead of “contemporary or traditional” worship, why not try scriptural?
Upcoming Sermons
7/9/23 AM - Gospel Power; PM - Learning by Listening
7/16/23 AM - “As the Elect of God, Holy and Beloved”; PM - Learning by Watching
7/23/23 AM - When Our Rooster Crows; PM - Guest Speaker: Doug Sanders - New Jerusalem?
7/30/23 AM - Milk Drinkers and Meat Eaters; PM - When Lying Feels Right
