The Actions of Agape Love – Part 3
I Corinthians 13: 5 tells us that agape love is “….. not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; …..” While all these characteristics are so similar that they are used interchangeably to describe certain behaviors and attitudes, they are different.
Acting rude, being unmannerly or unbecoming, insisting on our own rights and being self-seeking has become so pervasive in modern society that we no longer recognize truly rude or unbecoming or even selfish behaviors. They are now referred to as “free speech”, “my rights”, “my freedom”, or any other name someone can conjure up. As silly as the above cartoon may be, it gets the point across visually. And, sadly, it was one of the cleanest visual depictions of rudeness to be found. This speaks volumes about the world we live today.
Let’s be clear about which behaviors and attitudes we are discussing. When someone is rude, unbecoming, unmannerly, insisting on their own rights or their own way or self-seeking, they are offensive in manner or action, discourteous, uncivilized, savage, coarse, vulgar, graceless, improper, inappropriate, perverse, unseemly, wrong, unsuitable, and selfish. These actions and attitudes cover just about every wrong behavior that can be found in human interactions.
The Word is very clear on how we should show love to others. Romans 13:10-14 (ESV) says, “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”
Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV) says, “ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
We should be considerate, kind, gracious, sensitive, thoughtful, humble, meek, civil, genteel (well-bred and polite), mannerly, appropriate, correct, happy, proper, seemly and right with everyone. This is the breakdown of how to do no wrong to a neighbor, how to walk in the fruit of the Spirit, how to cast off the works of darkness and how to put on the armor of light.
We are instructed to put on the Lord Jesus Christ AND make no provision for our flesh. Putting on the Lord Jesus Christ is to walk as He walked. Our Lord was no pushover, but He did respond to every situation in the love of God. When we decide to walk in love every day, we can be assured that there will be 101 different situations that will arise to tempt our flesh and test our love walk. But, we can also be assured that God will NEVER tell us to do something we cannot do. The love of God dwells in us and we are MORE than able to handle each situation in the love of God. You are made in the very likeness and image of God AND HE IS LOVE!