2021-11-26
Good Morning Dear Ones,
You’ll recall that the Holy Spirit commanded me to discuss that agape love always protects last week. It helps us to understand that the original Greek definitions elucidate the exact meaning, due to the precision of the Greek language. The Greek word for “protects” is “stego” from the verb “stegei” (Strong’s no. 4722). It is the one used in 1 COR 13: 6-7, “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” Now for these revealing definitions: to endure patiently --under the Lord’s protection; to cover over in silence—keeps confidences—never gossips; doesn’t expose the faults of others. 1 PET 4: 8, “Above all, love each other deeply; because love covers over a multitude of sins.” Here we find protecting as seen as help for choosing what to ignore or what to tolerate with grace. I have used the issues of legality, morality, or safety, if compromised, as an indicator of what not to keep to myself.
Agape love always trusts is yet another feature. The Greek word for “trust” is “pisteuo” (pronounced: pist-yoo’-o from the word, “pistis,” which means “to have faith in, to affirm, to have confidence in, or to believe. Its Strong’s number is 4102). We must know when to be skeptical and when to trust in a person or concept, which isn’t always easy. The first help we have for making this choice is prayer to the Holy Spirit, and life experience is the second. It’s used in 1 COR 11: 18, “In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it.”
Agape love always hopes is a third feature. The Greek word for “hope” is “elpizo” from which the verb “proelpizo,” (pronounced: pro-el-pid’-zo; Strong’s no. 4276) meaning from which “to hope before” or “to expect with desire” arise. We find this usage in 2 COR 8: 22-24, “In addition, we are sending with them our brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now even more so because of his great confidence in you. As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you as for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ. Therefore, show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it.” To put this passage in context, Paul was writing to the church in Corinth about the generosity and kindness of the Macedonian new converts and sending Titus to serve in that Greek city of commerce. The hope here is that the church there will pay attention to the example set by Macedonia.
Agape love always perseveres is the fourth feature. The Greek word for “perseveres” is “hupomeno” (pronounced: hoop-om-en’-o; Strong’s no. 5278). This verb’s meaning is to remain behind, to remain under, to endure, to stand one’s ground, or to bear up against. An example of this usage from the NT is HE 10: 36, “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.” We know that when the cause is good, those who persevere in it will succeed in fulfilling their goals (or in this case God’s).
Agape love never fails is the fifth feature. The Greek verb “ekpipto” means “to fail” (pronounced: ek-pep’-to; Strong’s no. 4098). Other ways to express it are to be without effect, to be in vain, to fall under (as condemnation), to prostrate, or to beat down. When researching its usage as in 1 COR 13: 8, it was necessary to go to PS 111: 3, because “never fails” -the opposite of “fails” is used. “Glorious and majestic are His deeds, and His righteousness endures forever.” If the word “agape” is substituted for “love” in JN 3: 16 or GA 5: 22, more characteristics of it are seen. More on this topic next week.
PRAYER: O Lord, we humans have many foibles; we forget the important, often fail in relationships, delay maturity through laziness, and many more. And yet, You commanded Your beloved Son to give His life on the cross as the supreme demonstration of the pure agape love You have for us. Your grace (undeserved merit) is offered with generosity far beyond what any human can give. Through Him, You have showed us what protection, trust, hope, perseverance, and never failing are. When parents, older siblings or relatives, and so-called friends fail to protect us, You always do. Whether You choose to bring us out of the pit of danger or take us home to You, You always decide in our best eternal interests what a believer’s fate will be. In Your infinite wisdom, You enable us to trust in those who are obediently faithful and dip liberally into the well of Your wisdom. Through our Savior, we have the hope of the resurrection; we know He is always here for us, and all we must do is to turn to Him in prayer. When we ask for things in His name, You will grant them [JN 15:7]. The love You have for us never fails; we can always count on You to keep Your promises. For these things and so much more, we offer You our eternal praise and thanks, in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: As mentioned above, the topic of how substituting the word “agape” in JN 3: 16 and GA 5: 22 reveals its characteristics will be discussed (at the behest of the Holy Spirit). I had a friend who shared my interest in knitting and was in the group I led at a church in UT. She was elderly and wise, always saying, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Both of us felt unprotected emotionally in our childhoods. Her older sister was the favored child and could be quite cruel to my friend. The sister would say, “Mother loves me more than you” repeatedly. My own mother could be cruel in her nagging and criticism, often leading to arguments. I belonged to a minority religion, which led to wrongful treatment from immature schoolmates. Both my friend and I shared our childhood experiences with each other and spoke about our subsequent happy marriages/parenting techniques as adults. We both dreamed of release from our unhappiness as children, and it finally came only when we became adults. Our parents and childhood acquaintances taught us, by their examples, what not to do. We learned those lessons well! Our release from past unhappiness came at the hand of Jesus Christ! A mature perspective, which adults can have, and deeply abiding (persevering) faith in Him is not an “emotional crutch” as critics would try to say. Instead, it brings a strength and flexibility in challenging situations that can only come from God. It gives us the perspective to face illness, deaths of loved ones, financial reverses, and a multitude of other problems living in today’s world brings. Recently, a wise rabbi offered this idea for us to consider. “Sympathy for someone means you feel for them; empathy means you feel with them.” Think about what Jesus feels for us. Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2021. All Rights Reserved.
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