Love Endures All Things
13: 7e
Finally, love endures all things, at all costs. Love holds fast to those it loves. It stands against overwhelming opposition and refuses to stop covering (to see link click Df – Love Covers All Things), stop believing (see Dg – Love Believes All Things), or stop hoping (see Dh – Love Hopes All Things). Love will not stop loving. In these four statements the inner power of love is revealed: her head held high, her eyes are bright and shining, her hand is steady and true, her heart is strong with the Ruach Ha’Kodesh within. This love has been rightly called “the greatest thing in the world.” Paul does not describe love in its greatest works, sacrifices, martyrdoms, or triumphs; he goes to the ordinary circumstances of life as we meet them day-by-day. There are many excuses on why we cannot love. But, Paul will not hear of it. Any of it. He encourages us to be true followers of Messiah and exercise love. Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much (Luke 16:10a).425
Loving someone is easy when the other person does not challenge our affections by failing or offending. Love’s quality becomes really evident when it must endure trials. The B’rit Chadashah encourages us to endure in our walk with the Lord. Here is how we know that we love God’s children: when we love God, we also do what He commands. For loving God means obeying his commands. Moreover, his commands are not burdensome, because everyone born of God overcomes the world. And this is what victoriously overcomes the world: our trust. Who overcomes the world if not the person who believes that Yeshua is the Son of God (First John 5:2-5)? Here, Paul specifically had in mind the need to persevere in love for others. Messiah’s endurance of love on our behalf is our example.426
In saying love believes all things and love hopes all things, Paul does not mean that love always believes the best about everything and everyone, but that love never ceases to trust God, and thus, leaves justice in His hands. It is in this sense that it never loses hope – that God’s justice in the context of God’s goodness will yet prevail where there is human fallenness, even wickedness. This is why love can endure. The life that is so touched by the never-ceasing love of God in Messiah (Romans 8:39) is in turn enabled by the Ruach Ha’Kodesh to love others in the same way. It trusts God on behalf of the one loved, hopes to the end that God will show mercy in that person’s behalf.427
Love covers what otherwise is unbearable; love believes what is otherwise unbelievable; love hopes in what otherwise is hopeless; and it endures when anything less than love would give up. After love covers, it believes. After it believes, it hopes. After it hopes, it endures.428 Love is enduring, and what it produces will endure.
Dear Heavenly Father, meditating on Your wonderful love brings such peace. Things in this world may seem to swirl out of control but You are sovereign and Almighty. It is such a joy that You walk with me – ahead of me, behind me and alongside me. Whenever I sit down or stand up, You know it. You discern my thinking from afar. You observe my journeying and my resting and You are familiar with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, ADONAI, You know all about it (Psalms 139:2-4). It is a comfort to know that everywhere I go – You, with Your great love, are already there to protect and to guide me. I want to live my life so all that I do pleases You. Sometimes life is hard but it will be over soon and then an eternity of living in your wonderful love in heaven. For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). I live with my eyes focused on Your love and on soon being in heaven. Thank you for being such a wonderful and loving Father! In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen
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