Daily Devotions for Difficult Days [95] Sonnet of Love (8) Love is not Proud

 Queen of the Graces

The story is told of a man who was well-known to be humble in character. A friend of his joked, "Well he has a lot to be humble about!"

In his commentary on Luke 14:7-14, J.C. Ryle, the godly once-bishop of Liverpool, wrote:

"Humility may well be called the queen of the Christian graces. To know our own sinfulness and weakness, and to feel our need of Christ, is the very beginning of saving religion. It is a grace which has always been the distinguishing feature in the character of the holiest saints in every age. Abraham, and Moses, and Job, and David, and Daniel, and Paul, were all eminently humble men. Above all, it is a grace within the reach of every true Christian. All have not money to give away. All have not time and opportunities for working directly for Christ. All have not gifts of speech, and tact, and knowledge, in order to do good in the world. But all converted men should labor to adorn the doctrine they profess by humility. If they can do nothing else, they can strive to be humble."

We have arrived at the fifth word which describes Christian love,

"Love is not... proud."

We notice that once again it is couched in a ngeative because the church at Corinth was filled with people who were proud - and it seems mainly of their spiritual gifts.

In our last study we noticed that to love others is not to boast about anything we may have, not least because in all things we are never more than stewards of God's gifts.

Is Paul repeating himself here? "Love does not boast" and "love is not proud" sound the same.

Paul is advancing an idea. Boasting is an outward action, pride is the inner attitude which may be the spring of boasting. Of course it may be possible for someone to boast about gifts completely unwittingly -but be unaware that it is not a loving thing to do. Such a person would need the exhortation, "love does not boast."

More often however, boasting flows from a proud heart, and, says Paul, such pride has no part of love.

Pride and Love

Pride is the emotion that says - never outloud, always in the heart -"I am above you." The first time pride arose in the universe it took place in Satan's heart. Once a noble angelic creature he said in his heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of the assembly." (Isaiah 14:13)

Pride was Satan's downfall, for God brought him down, because no-one can share his infinite glory.

So how do pride and love connect? We might expect to see an exhortation to humility in a list of graces or fruit of the spirit, not in a sonnet of love.

Pride will stop us loving anyone, because as long as we put ourselves above another, we can never love them. How come? We will always judge them: that's the reason pride and love are like oil and water.

Pride in my heart is completely at odds with love in my heart, because pride judges, whereas love forgives and accepts.

The key to Humility

The key to humility, suggests JC Ryle is self-knowledge. If we know ourselves as we ought, we will never be proud.

And knowing ourselves is a life-time's task, which comes primarily as we look into the mirror of God's Word and see far we fall short of God's glory.

Humility comes when we ask God to search us and know us and to show us our wicked ways.

The Holy Spirit who has been sent to convict of sin and righteousness reveals, through his word, both positively and negatively, the depths of our iniquity - and leaves us with no doubt that we are sinners, saved by grace alone.

I say "convicts positively as well as negatively" because a friend of mine told me that it was reading the Gospels that revealed to him his sin: As he saw the beauty of Jesus, he realised how far away he was from that perfect standard. He was convicted not by law but by love.

Summing it All Up

Only self-righteous people stand in judgement of others. Oh, yes, we are called to make judgements. Paul exhorts this very Corinthian church to own up to and deal with a hideous sexual sin in it's midst.

But making judgements is altogther different from judging someone. When we judge someone we say that we are better Christians than they. We may say of John or Jane, "she is doing wrong" but we may never say of John or Jane, "I am better than they."

A key to Christian love, then, is humility. To know, deep within our hearts that we are wretched sinners sin need of God's grace.

Then, as we put ourselves below everyone else, we shall, instead of judging them, honour them above ourselves and love them as Christ does.

A SONG FOR THE DAY
This great hymn never grows old, no matter how many years we may have been on the road. This contemporary twist adds to the original.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now I'm found,
Was blind but now I see.

Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.

My chains are gone, I've been set free.
My God, my Saviour has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy rains
Unending love Amazing grace

The Lord has promised good to me,
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine.
But God who called me here below
Will be forever mine

My chains are gone, I've been set free.
My God, my Saviour has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy rains
Unending love Amazing grace

John Newton

You can worship HERE.

 A PRAYER FOR THE DAY

Our gracious Father in heaven,

We thank you for the self-effacing humility of the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you that though he was God on High, he humbled himself, became a servant, and suffered death for sinners such as ourselves.

We thank you for his example. We thank you that when everyone else was too noble to wash feet, the King of kings who had come not to be served but to serve, washed the feet of his disciples.

Keep us from sinful pride and forgive us for ever vaunting ourselves above another.

Help us to know ourselves and stay humble.

For we ask these things for our good, and your glory, in Jesus' Name,

Amen

Photo by Fa Barboza on Unsplash