1st Corinthians 13:4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
This passage of scripture describes for us how the godly characteristic of charity works in the real world. It is not an abstract idea or philosophy that is only held on an intellectual level, but it is rather manifested in real time as we interact with the members of the human family. Pets are easy to love, for they do not argue and gossip, neither do they harbor bad feelings nor are they unfaithful. Once a pet is trained to use the potty, wherever that may be, it is usually not a repeat offender, like human beings are often known to be. And because of this it takes almost no effort to love animals.
But human beings for whom Christ has shed His blood are a different breed altogether, and to love one another in the truest sense of the word is not an easy matter, in so much that Christ saw it necessary to give the instruction in commandment form. Let's read:
John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
This type of love which only comes from God was manifested in marked instances in the life of David, before he was publicly anointed to take over the throne of Israel. Saul who had been first chosen by God did not fulfill the instructions of God on several different occasions, and because of this God could not work with him, since he proved that he could not be trusted to carry out the divine mandates. Therefore when Saul learned that David was preferred above himself, his nature descended to a very low level, in which hatred, malice, revenge and jealousy became the ruling traits of character, and were manifested in a desperate nation-wide hunt for David, who was then forced to flee for his life and had to be on the run, very much the same like those on the list of America's most wanted. Let's read:
1st Samuel 20:1 And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life? 3 And David sware moreover, and said' ..... "as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death.
But there was one time when Saul slipped up, and David through the providence of God came upon his pursuer in the dead of night whilst he was sound asleep, and the warriors who were with David became anxious that the opportunity to slay Saul should not be passed by. And because of the urge for revenge, one of them was moved to ask David for the privilege of striking Saul with one deadly blow. But the characteristic of true charity surfaced in David, and because of this he could not consent to Saul's death, but rather let what seemed like a golden opportunity pass by. This is the kind of agape love that the apostle is referring to, and not the cheap sentiment that is commonly referred to as love. Let's read:
1st Samuel 26:7 So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster: but Abner and the people lay round about him. 8 Then said Abishai to David, God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day: now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear even to the earth at once, and I will not smite him the second time. 9 And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against the Lord's anointed, and be guiltless?
In our own experiences we often come across situations that are very volatile, and sometimes there are those who are bent on hurting our reputation or even causing us harm. Then again there are instances when evil reports and unfounded rumors are set in motion by those who hate us, and it's at times like these when our lower, carnal nature clamors for revenge, and we are tempted to take delight in the failure or demise of our opponents. Hence the reason why The Lord says "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another as I have loved you", which means that unlike pets, which do not retaliate and harbor hatred for many, many years, we are to love the un-thankful and do good to our enemies, and also to pray for those who deliberately persecute, harass, and heckle us.
It's only through the power of God working effectually in our hearts that this can be accomplished, and we also have our part to play, in praying that God will cleanse us from all unhealthy emotions, feelings, thoughts, and actions so that His perfect will may be done, and that the character of Christ may be seen. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which calls upon us to relinquish anger and hatred in all of its various forms and manifestations, and rather to keep our eyes on Jesus, who reviled not again when He was sorely tempted by His foes. Let's read:
Proverbs 24:17 Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: 18 Lest the Lord see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!