This past Saturday I had the joy of officiating the wedding of one of the youths who had been in my youth group over 19 years ago. It was actually a renewal of vows, but because it was their first religious ceremony, we treated it as a first-time ceremony. They had had a civil ceremony eleven years ago, before his deployment. As you can imagine, one of the scriptures I read was from 1 Corinthians 13.4-8a. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evils but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”
This is God’s definition, if you will, of love. Of course, his definition of love is not just for married couples but is also the way we as Christ followers are to love everyone no matter what our relationship is with the other person, even if there is no relationship because we just met them.
The quote by C. S. Lewis is great because it reminds us that when we love others the way God calls us to love them, this expression of love is never wasted. His point is that the love that Paul wrote down in his first letter to the Corinthian church is not based upon the other person’s response. It is not conditioned upon the other person loving us in return. Rather it is given to the other person simply because, “that is what we are to do.”
Today’s culture and probably all cultures from those first days after the Fall, finds it hard not to seek reciprocity for any action toward others, but especially love. We love if they love us. We are kind, if they are kind to us. We help if they are willing to help us. We even become upset when someone does not say, “thank you.” But all of that is not the Biblical way. We are to do all of those things, especially love, without condition, without expecting reciprocity. Remember our example is Christ. He loved and died for people who did not love him and for people who never will (which breaks his heart and should break ours).
Therefore, let us love as Christ loved. Love never fails.
In Christ Alone
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