Introduction
In this post we continue the
process of the Step 4 Spiritual Inventory. Over the past weeks we have prepared
for this Holy Spirit led examination because we don’t need a bunch of opinions
or misunderstandings or deceptions about ourselves or our situation; we need
the truth. I cannot get from point A to point B with a GPS unless I have
accurate information about where I am and where I’m going. It’s the same thing
with recovery; I need the truth about where I am and how to get where I need to
go. Our understanding of ourselves is most often based on biased and faulty
information, but God knows the truth and the Truth will set you free. That is
why we submit, as Step 4 says, to a Spirit-led inventory.
Last week we opened our hearts
and minds to what love truly is. The world gives us a very twisted and
self-centered view of love; that is not God’s design. Now you may be asking
what Godly love has to do with recovery. The answer is everything. In recovery
we know that worldly “love” most often hinders recovery which is why we’ve all
heard it said countless times not to get into a romantic relationship while in
recovery. The reason we need Godly love is that God designed us as social
beings; we were made to commune with Him and other people. Addiction is very
selfish and tends to drive us away from people and from God. Addiction is
destructive because it makes us isolate, hide, lie and deceive. Godly love is a
huge part of recovery as it beings us back into the kind of healthy
relationships we need.
The Holy Spirit describes Godly
love in 1 Corinthians 13 . We
began our spiritual inventory with a discussion of love with the first descriptive
word (patient) in 1 Corinthians 13:4 .
This post begins with a quick review and then onto the second descriptive word
which is “kind.”
Love
Is Kind:
God’s description of love begins
with this, “Love suffers long” (1 Corinthians 13:4). The Greek word translated
“suffers long” or “is patient” means to withstand aggravation without
complaint. Thus, in your Spirit-led self-examination, ask the Spirit to reveal
to you the truth with the following questions:
How patient are you with close
family?
How patient are you with extended
family and friends?
How patient are you with
acquaintances and strangers?
How patient are you with those who
hate you?
These questions are best answered
in light of God’s patience with you.
Now let’s move onto the second descriptive word in 1 Corinthians 13:4 , “Love suffers long and is kind.” Kind is a rare Greek
verb used only once in the New Testament, though other forms of the root word
are used often. The Greek verb “kind” means to take merciful and gracious
action toward someone. It is illustrated in a well-known parable Jesus told.
Before we jump into the parable let me give you a little background
information, some context if you will. The account of Jesus telling this story
is found in Luke 10:25-37 .
Jesus is being challenged by a lawyer who seeks to discredit Him. The lawyer’s
purpose is to divide the crowd so he asks Jesus what he must do to inherit
eternal life. In Jewish society at the time, there was much debate about the
reality of eternal life. Some, known as the Sadducees, did not believe in such
a thing, many others, however, did. Jesus’ response to the lawyer’s question
was, “What is written in the Law? What is your reading of it?” Jesus is talking
about the Old Testament Law. The lawyer responded by quoting from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18 , “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your
soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”
Jesus replied, “You have answered rightly; do this and you shall live.” As a
sidebar let me say that loving God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength
includes trusting Him. Thus, when He tells you that the only way to be forgiven
and have union with Him is through believing that Jesus died in your place,
taking your punishment, and rising again so that you can have new life now and
eternal life to come, you believe Him because you know He loves you and that
you can trust Him (1 Corinthians 15:3-4 ; Acts 16:31 ). You cannot say you love God in the way
described above if you deny what He says.
Back to Luke 10 and the parable. The lawyer, upon hearing
Jesus tell him his answer was correct, realized he hadn’t gotten the answer he
wanted; there was nothing there to accuse Jesus or divide the crowd. So, he
pressed onward asking, “and who is my neighbor?” Now again, let me give you
some background information. Jesus is about to answer the lawyer using a story
about a Samaritan. The Jews hated the Samaritans; they considered them defiled.
The Samaritans descended from the Jews who were left behind when Assyria conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel,
and the people Assyria transplanted into that territory. Thus,
they were not fully Jewish and the Jews hated them because of that. Jesus had
several interactions with Samaritans (see John 4 for example) as He showed them love and
compassion and tried to teach His disciples to do the same. Now, lets read the
parable in Luke 10:30-35 :
“A certain man went
down from Jerusalem to Jericho ,
and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and
departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that
road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite,
when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.
But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw
him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on
oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took
care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them
to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you
spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’”
Jesus then asked the lawyer, “So which of these three do you
think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” Jesus has presented an
interesting case to the lawyer who must now admit that the despised Samaritan
is the one who showed love, not the priest or Levite who were Jews. The lawyer
replied, “The one who showed mercy on him.” Jesus then said, “Go and do
likewise.” Go and do what the Samaritan did, show mercy and love, even to those
who hate you.
The Samaritan didn’t walk over to the bleeding, dying man
lying along the road and say, “Oh man, you look terrible. Well, I hope you get
feeling better; I’ll pray for you. See you later.” No, he stopped, kneeled down
and dressed the wounds, took him to safe shelter and cared for him. He
demonstrated love. Specifically, he showed the kindness of 1 Corinthians 13:4 by taking merciful and
gracious action toward someone who would have otherwise hated him.
So then, in our spiritual inventory, do you show that kind
of love? As addicts, that is highly unlikely. Again, addiction makes us very
selfish, so selfless kindness like that just doesn’t happen. We can do some
“nice” things but there will be some type of selfish motivation. Godly, loving
kindness moves to demonstrate compassion with no selfish motivation. Ask the
Holy Spirit to reveal to you what kind of love you have been showing:
How kind are you with close family?
How kind are you with extended family and friends?
How kind are you with acquaintances and strangers?
How kind are you with those who hate you?
These are best answer in light of how kind God is with you. His
example is the requirement of Godly love.
Conclusion
Patience and kindness are the necessary passive and active
responses of Godly love toward others. Patience allows us to be mistreated and
still be compassionate instead of being bitter or vengeful. Kindness means
taking compassionate action toward others. Addiction, even codependency, is an
entirely selfish thing. To love with patience and kindness makes addiction
difficult if not impossible because it removes the selfishness. This type of love
is only possible through submission to the Spirit. As Step 1 says, I do not
have the power to love like this on my own. Step 2 adds, only God has the power
to produce that kind of love in me. Step 3 then tells us that we must give
ourselves over to God, yielding to His will for us. Step 4 is where God shows
us what needs to change about us so that we can be more like our perfect
example and Saviour, Jesus.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Mark
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