Be a lightning rod

1 Corinthians 13 (Amplified Bible)


1 Corinthians 13

^1 IF I [can] speak in the tongues of men and [even] of angels, but have not love (that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion such as is inspired by God's love for and in us), I am only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

^2 And if I have prophetic powers the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), and understand all the secret truths and mysteries and possess all knowledge, and if I have [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but have not love (God's love in me) I am nothing (a useless nobody).

^3 Even if I dole out all that I have [to the poor in providing] food, and if I surrender my body to be burned or in order that I may glory, but have not love (God's love in me), I gain nothing.

^4 Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.

^5 It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it 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; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].

^6 It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.

^7 Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].

^8 Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]. As for prophecy the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), it will be fulfilled and pass away; as for tongues, they will be destroyed and cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away [it will lose its value and be superseded by truth].

^9 For our knowledge is fragmentary (incomplete and imperfect), and our prophecy (our teaching) is fragmentary (incomplete and imperfect).

^10 But when the complete and perfect (total) comes, the incomplete and imperfect will vanish away (become antiquated, void, and superseded).

^11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; now that I have become a man, I am done with childish ways and have put them aside.

^12 For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim (blurred) reflection [of reality as in a riddle or enigma], but then [when perfection comes] we shall see in reality and face to face! Now I know in part (imperfectly), but then I shall know and understand fully and clearly, even in the same manner as I have been fully and clearly known and understood by God].

^13 And so faith, hope, love abide [faith--conviction and belief respecting man's relation to God and divine things; hope--joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; love--true affection for God and man, growing out of God's love for and in us], these three; but the greatest of these is love.


Now this is a tall order- but we need to strive for it. I try to remember it when dealing with my hubby. It hurts when they keep things from you, or flat out lie. But love keeps no record of wrongs. It hopes all things. We need to have Gods love for them, as imperfect as they are. It feels personal, but don't let it be that. When he is wrong, you have a choice to stand in Gods place of forgiveness or take up the evil.

I read a great article about overcoming sin. It made things so clear to me. We extinguish the fiery darts of the devil when we let the sin stop with us. Instead of it affecting us and then going out to others from us. We are to be like a lightning rod, that takes the hit and saves the building. We when sinned against are to let it stop there. Instead of lashing back, or being short with our children because someone sinned against us, we absorb it and let it die. It can be continued by us to others or we can make it die a quick death. I keep trying to keep that at the forefront of m mind- Be a lightning rod!

* the article was in a magazine called "Truth for all Life"