PATIENCE & LOVE: PUT ON LOVE
(Message by Tanny Keng)
1. Patience And Love
a) There's an obvious connection between love and patience or love and long-suffering. Paul, in his poem about love, says, "Love is patient, love is kind..." or "Love suffers long and is kind..." (1 Corinthians 13:4).
b) We know full well that love makes for patience, and patience is an expression of love. People who love each other are much more likely to be patient with each other.
c) Paul sums up the attitude of patience and love in this way: "With all humility and gentleness, with patience, show forbearance to one another in love... Put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience." (Ephesians 4:2, Colossians 3:12).
2. Put On Love
Colossians 3:14
"Put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity."
a) Without the "love" how difficult the "patience" and other things would be! Even in our relationship with God we see love and patience linked: "May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ" (2 Thessalonians 3:5). Unless we love God wholeheartedly, we are more likely to blame him for our trials and troubles than to lean on him as we endure them. The strength for our patience with God comes from our great love for him.
b) In the same way, our love for one another is the root of our patience or long-suffering in dealing with one another. Paul goes on to say that patience, and its companion graces, make for unity and peace rather than blame and complaint. He then says, "And beyond all these things put on love which is the perfect bond of unity" (Colossians 3:14).
c) Now true love itself is not an easy thing to understand, nor an easy thing to do. What often seems to be love, turns out to be a figment, an imitation rather than the genuine article. There are certain attributes of love which we have already heard Paul mention in this lesson. We can more easily understand the nature of true love, and how it leads to patience, by considering its attributes. We will look at two of these — compassion and humility.
The End ...
1. Patience And Lovea) There's an obvious connection between love and patience or love and long-suffering. Paul, in his poem about love, says, "Love is patient, love is kind..." or "Love suffers long and is kind..." (1 Corinthians 13:4).
b) We know full well that love makes for patience, and patience is an expression of love. People who love each other are much more likely to be patient with each other.
c) Paul sums up the attitude of patience and love in this way: "With all humility and gentleness, with patience, show forbearance to one another in love... Put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience." (Ephesians 4:2, Colossians 3:12).
2. Put On Love
Colossians 3:14
"Put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity."
a) Without the "love" how difficult the "patience" and other things would be! Even in our relationship with God we see love and patience linked: "May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ" (2 Thessalonians 3:5). Unless we love God wholeheartedly, we are more likely to blame him for our trials and troubles than to lean on him as we endure them. The strength for our patience with God comes from our great love for him.
b) In the same way, our love for one another is the root of our patience or long-suffering in dealing with one another. Paul goes on to say that patience, and its companion graces, make for unity and peace rather than blame and complaint. He then says, "And beyond all these things put on love which is the perfect bond of unity" (Colossians 3:14).
c) Now true love itself is not an easy thing to understand, nor an easy thing to do. What often seems to be love, turns out to be a figment, an imitation rather than the genuine article. There are certain attributes of love which we have already heard Paul mention in this lesson. We can more easily understand the nature of true love, and how it leads to patience, by considering its attributes. We will look at two of these — compassion and humility.
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