1 Corinthians 13:4c love does not boast

“I went 14 for 14 last night and scored 31 points.”

“I had 21 rushes for 280 yards and scored 7 touchdowns in Saturday’s game.”

Boasting? Yes, but I seriously do not think that God cares one way or another about your accomplishments in the world. Here in 1 Corinthians 13 we are looking at how love acts and that in connection with spiritual issues and not worldly.

Drawing once again on my experiences of the past, a man came into a church I once attended and announced that he was a teacher with the expectation of being placed into the teaching rotation of that church. The leadership of the church withstood him and denied him access. He soon left and sought position elsewhere.

Why was he denied? Self-promotion indicates an agenda of servitude and not service.

Matthew 19:30 But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.

God promotes service. If you come into a church with a servant’s heart, you will be received and used of God. Then over time as your gifts and talents are seen in service, promotion will come to fill the greater needs of the congregation.

Acts 5:6 For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought.

It is the responsibility of leadership to ensure this does not happen to the flock in their keeping. If you have gift and talents, use them and others will recognize them without you having to say a word.

1 Corinthians 13:4b love does not envy

I am not sure but it just might be that many of us mistake envy here for covet. The reason I say this is because we often look at what others have materially and wish we had one also. It might be a new car, a bigger home, an awesome home entertainment center, or a dozen things that are nicer than what we have. Isn’t that more in line with covetousness?

Rather than looking at the possessions look at the person who has what you want? Envy focusses on the possessor not the possession. Envy says I want to be like him/her. Envy does not want things, it says I am unhappy with who I am and I want to be like that.

Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

If you are His then you are being conformed into the image of Christ. Why would you settle for anything less? Even if the person you envy is a leading Christian personality like a Billy Graham, they are still not Christ, they are still imperfect, admirable perhaps but still less than perfect. Christ is perfect.

So what is the harm here? Are we not to give honor where honor is due? Yes, but honor is not envy. The real danger is in being so focused on what the Holy Spirit has done in others that you ignore what He is trying to accomplish in you.

1 Corinthians 12:31a But covet earnestly the best gifts:

I have been in churches that covet the power gifts to their own detriment because they failed to believe the second half of this verse.

1 Corinthians 12:31b and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

This is where we are now, in love.