Love Bears up Under Anything

Love bears up under anything and everything that comes. Bears up in spite of all things evil, and is not overcome. This is the idea of "beareth." Love bears up against the tide of evil, as the rock against the waves.

When a man and woman marry, they vow to love each other "in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better or worse." This type of love is characteristic of the love described in I Corinthians 13. This kind of love, we have learned in our other studies is Agape love whether that love be for a spouse, a friend, a co-worker, family member, fellow Christian or someone to whom you are ministering.

We are called to "bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ"

"Bear (endure, carry) one another's burdens and troublesome moral faults, and in this way fulfill and observe perfectly the law of Christ (the Messiah) and complete what is lacking [in your obedience to it]" Galatians 6:2.

Sometimes difficulties will arise within any type of relationship. Someone will say or do things which hurt the other. For the most part, it may have been unintentional, but that doesn't always make it easier to bear. More often the difficulties arise from outside the relationship itself. Sickness, persecution, financial distress, emotional pain, attacks of Satan which affect one of the people will, (by extension) affect both. Remember the context in which I Corinthians 13 appears. In Chapter 12 is a discussion of the body of Christ and how what affects one member affects all.

True Agape love feels the pain of others, and in so doing, helps carry that burden. Their prayer needs become our prayer needs. Their distress becomes our distress. Their need for salvation, deliverance or healing becomes ours as well. To bear another's burdens doesn't require that we need to be strong, it simply requires that we be willing.

There will always be another pair of hands helping with that burden. And if you look closely, you will find that they have the imprints of nails in them from a time, when He carried a burden that wasn't His.

This word bearing, in the original language also meant to cover something. In this case, it means to cover the wrong doing of others. It means to be the "Fall Guy" whenever possible.

You know that if you are in Christ, YOU are being covered. When God looks at Preston Pittman, He only sees Christ. It will be this way until I have received my new Body... where there is no sin or suffering.

And so, similarly we are to cover one another. Looking for opportunities to take the brunt... even the punishment for each others mistakes.

This is love my friends.

Love bears up under anything and everything that comes.

I Love you.