Spectrum of Love

4th in a series.

Patti and Hal Bosworth

9 Facets of Love

1 Corinthians 13

My wife Patti has been preparing for an upcoming women’s retreat in which she will have a leadership role which includes giving a talk titled “Body of Christ.” I have had the benefit of being an audience of one as she has practiced. Christ is alive. The Son of God is manifested in our world today in many. You and I are the hands and feet. The Church has left the building. The Apostle Paul’s treatise on Love, our scripture for today, is indeed another way of describing the perfect “Body of Christ.” 

Patti & Junior

In his book “The Greatest thing in the World” nineteenth century evangelist Henry Drummond writes about the 13th Chapter of 1 Corinthians in an amazing fashion. He refers to verses 4-6 as the spectrum of love. “It is like light. As you have seen a scientist take a beam of light and pass it through a crystal prism, as you have seen it come out on the other side of the prism broken up unto it’s component colors-red, blue, yellow, violet, orange, and all the colors of the rainbow- so Paul passes this thing, love, through the magnificent prism of his inspired intellect and it comes out on the other side broken up into its elements. The Spectrum of love has nine ingredients.”
I am taking the liberty of coupling these ingredients, as stated by Drummond, together with the nine other missionaries who I have had the pleasure this week to serve with. Every Mission team is the Body of Christ.

Into Action

Patience – “Love suffereth long.” Carol, “…wearing the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit.”
Kindness – “And is kind.” – Jane, “…simply making people happy, doing good deeds for people.”
Generosity – “Love envieth not.” – Patti – “…fortified with the grace of magnanimity.”
Humility – Love vaunteth not itself is not puffed up.” – Lee,“…after love has done it’s beautiful work, go back into the shade again and say nothing about it.”
Courtesy – “ Doth not behave itself unseemly.” – Lori, “The one secret of politeness is to love.”
Good Temper – “Is not easily provoked.”- Beverly, “Souls are made sweet not by taking the acid fluids out but by putting something in -a great love, a new spirit, the spirit of Christ.

Guilelessness – “Thinketh no evil.” – Charles, “It is a wonderful thing that here and there in this hard, uncharitable world there are still a few rare souls who think no evil.
Sincerity – “Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth.” – Bill, “The person who loves, will love truth wholeheartedly.”

Unselfishness – “Seeketh not her own.” -Cheri, “there is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving.” 

Patience and Sincerity in the Pharmacy

If Jesus was walking the earth today, He would embody all these facets in the spectrum of Love perfectly. Love is the perfect will of God. I pray almost daily that I would understand His will for me and live it out. I am assured by hanging in with the above listed Body of Christ this week I am moving closer to His will for us.

Yahweh, may we desire in each moment to remain in your will as a perfect re-presentation of your precious Son. Amen.

Bradford Bosworth                                                                                              September, 2018