Love - Lesson 3: Love Lived Out (1) – Patient

Love

Lesson 3: Love Lived Out (1) – Patient

1 Corinthians 13:4a Love is patient and is kind;

1 John 3:18 My little children, let’s not love in word only, neither with the tongue only, but in deed and truth.

PATIENT, a.

1. Having the quality of enduring evils without murmuring or fretfulness; sustaining afflictions of body or mind with fortitude, calmness or christian submission to the divine will; as a patient person, or a person of patient temper. It is followed by of before the evil endured; as patient of labor or pain; patient of heat or cold.

2. Not easily provoked; calm under the sufferance of injuries or offenses; not revengeful.

Be patient towards all men. 1 Thess.5.

3. Persevering; constant in pursuit or exertion; calmly diligent.

Whatever I have done is due to patient thought.

4. Not hasty; not over eager or impetuous; waiting or expecting with calmness or without discontent.

Not patient to expect the turns of fate.

“patient.” Noah Webster's 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language. 2015. http://1828.mshaffer.com/d/word/patient (30 July 2015).

LONG'SUF'FERING, a.

Bearing injuries or provocation for a long time; patient; not easily provoked.

The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in goodness. Ex. 34.

“longsuffering.” Noah Webster's 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language. 2015. http://1828.mshaffer.com/d/word/longsuffering (30 July 2015).

The Main Points for This Lesson:

This series of lessons will center around love as seen in chapter 13 of the apostle Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians. The purpose of these lessons is to teach about love: love's importance; what love looks like lived out, including what it is and what it isn't, and what it does and what it doesn't do; love's greatness.

The apostle John exhorts us in his first epistle to love others not in word and in tongue only, but to love in deed and in truth. What does love look like in deed and in truth? John gave one example of what this looks like in his epistle (1 John 3:16-18). In 1 Corinthians 13, the apostle Paul provides us with some principles about what love looks like in deed and in truth. He begins by providing two positive characteristics or principles about love. The first of these is that love is patient.

Love is patient or suffers long (is long-suffering). Love is patient with others. It suffers long with others. While James did not use the word love, it seem appropriate to use his words in this matter. Love is quick to hear, but love is slow to speak and slow to anger. In its patience, love is willing to suffer because of others actions, choices or attitudes, as it strives to help them change or grow (grow up from childishness to a mature man). Love does not approve of sin or treat it as good, but it waits calmly while desiring the good of the sinner. God is patient with all men. He does not approve of sin, and will one day judge all men. Yet, he is patient. He waits to judge so that all men, you and I included, may have an opportunity to repent and turn to God. To love this love, to be patient with all men, we must trust in God, not fretting about others and what they do, but waiting for the Lord to work out the situation at the proper time.

The love commanded by God (and first demonstrated by God to us) is real and practical. This love is not first and foremost an emotion or feeling, though it may result in emotions or feelings (we don't have to wait for the feelings or emotions associated with love before we begin to love another). This love is made of real actions, choices and attitudes.

Suggestions:

To open the lesson, pray for the teacher and the students.

Let the children know that we are having some lessons on 1 Corinthians 13, about love. While 1 Corinthians 13 is not the only place God teaches us about love, it provides a very helpful, practical, and (perhaps) easily understood description of love.

In this lesson, we will learn about what love looks like lived out in our lives.

Read 1 Corinthians 13:4a. Being patient is the focus of this lesson. Ask the children if they can explain what it means to be patient. Have they been patient with anyone? Has anyone been patient with them?

Tell them the story of the two servants in debt in Matthew 18:23-35. Point out that they both asked for patience. Did the first servant show patience toward his fellow servant?

Read 2 Peter 3:9. What is this saying about God being patient with us? Do you think God has to suffer with us doing bad things as he waits for us to repent? Do you think such a God would want to help us be patient with others?

Ask the children if they can think of some situations with others in which they could be patient.

To close the lesson, pray with the children (perhaps that we could learn to serve one another through love) and have all the children read the Lord's prayer together.

Stories:

Matthew 18:23-35 [26] The servant therefore fell down and kneeled before him, saying, ‘Lord, have patience with me, and I will repay you all!’ [27] The lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. [28] “But that servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, who owed him one hundred denarii, and he grabbed him, and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ [29] “So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will repay you!’ [30] He would not, but went and cast him into prison, until he should pay back that which was due.

The first servant asked for patience. He was shown mercy. The second servant asked for patience but received only wrath from his fellow servant. While the first servant was forgiven all his debt, that same servant was unwilling to even be patient with his fellow servant, allowing him more time to pay back his debt.

More Stories and Examples:

1 Samuel 25:2-35

David was not patient with Nabal. When Nabal refused to show kindness to David and his men, David was not slow to anger against him.

1 Timothy 1:12-16 [12] And I thank him who enabled me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he counted me faithful, appointing me to service; [13] although I was before a blasphemer, a persecutor, and insolent. However, I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. [14] The grace of our Lord abounded exceedingly with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. [15] The saying is faithful and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. [16] However, for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first, Jesus Christ might display all his patience, for an example of those who were going to believe in him for eternal life.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some count slowness; but is patient with us, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Other Verses:

Psalm 37:7-9 [7] Rest in Yahweh, and wait patiently for him. Don’t fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who makes wicked plots happen. [8] Cease from anger, and forsake wrath. Don’t fret, it leads only to evildoing. [9] For evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for Yahweh shall inherit the land.

Proverbs 15:18 A wrathful man stirs up contention, but one who is slow to anger appeases strife.

Galatians 5:22-23 [22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, [23] gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Galatians 6:9-10 [9] Let us not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season, if we don’t give up. [10] So then, as we have opportunity, let’s do what is good toward all men, and especially toward those who are of the household of the faith.

Ephesians 4:1-2 [1] I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called, [2] with all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love;

Colossians 3:12-14 [12] Put on therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance; [13] bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as Christ forgave you, so you also do. [14] Above all these things, walk in love, which is the bond of perfection.

1 Thessalonians 5:13b-15 [13b] Be at peace among yourselves. [14] We exhort you, brothers, admonish the disorderly, encourage the faint-hearted, support the weak, be patient toward all. [15] See that no one returns evil for evil to anyone, but always follow after that which is good, for one another, and for all.

1 Timothy 6:11 But you, man of God, flee these things, and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.

2 Timothy 2:24-26 [24] The Lord’s servant must not quarrel, but be gentle towards all, able to teach, patient, [25] in gentleness correcting those who oppose him: perhaps God may give them repentance leading to a full knowledge of the truth, [26] and they may recover themselves out of the devil’s snare, having been taken captive by him to his will.

2 Timothy 3:10-11 [10] But you did follow my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, steadfastness, [11] persecutions, and sufferings: those things that happened to me at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. I endured those persecutions. The Lord delivered me out of them all.

2 Timothy 4:1-4 [1] I command you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his Kingdom: [2] preach the word; be urgent in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with all patience and teaching. [3] For the time will come when they will not listen to the sound doctrine, but, having itching ears, will heap up for themselves teachers after their own lusts; [4] and will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside to fables.

Titus 2:1-2 [1] But say the things which fit sound doctrine, [2] that older men should be temperate, sensible, sober minded, sound in faith, in love, and in patience:

James 1:19-20 [19] So, then, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger; [20] for the anger of man doesn’t produce the righteousness of God.