Kristi Muszik We look in the previous post at what love looks like; now, let’s look at what love doesn’t do.
Blame –
One of the most dangerous things people can do is blame others for their problems. When you blame, you yield yourself to wrong, evil spirits.
True love doesn’t look to blame others for their own mistakes or circumstances out of their control.
True love will take the blame and take responsibility for their wrongdoing.
Taking the blame causes you to yield to the love of God and be used by God. It causes you to look into your heart and humbly change whatever needs to change.
These people are always grumbling and blaming others; they follow their own evil desires; they brag about themselves and flatter others in order to get their own way. Jude 1:16 (GNT)
Harm or Wrong –
Love does no wrong to one’s neighbor [it never hurts anybody]. Therefore love meets all the requirements and is the fulfilling of the Law. Romans 13:10 (AMPC)
Love Doesn’t hurt others. It should bother us when we realize we have hurt someone through ignorance or selfishness.
Week people hurt others trying to prove they are strong when they are just fools.
If you love someone, you will not allow yourself to hurt them.
Take Advantage –
Love doesn’t take advantage of others.
1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 talks about not taking advantage of others through sexual immorality, but this can apply to anything.
Love doesn’t take advantage of people but protects and gives.
Love doesn’t take from others in a manipulative way. Love will receive gifts from others, but love wants to give, not take.
Lie –
If you love others, you can’t lie to them.
Love tells the truth no matter how painful or uncomfortable it is or trying to keep yourself from being rejected or in trouble for something you did.
Harsh –
A person who is harsh is a very weak and insecure person trying to prove himself strong.
Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk [ever] come out of your mouth, but only such [speech] as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need and the occasion, that it may be a blessing and give grace (God’s favor) to those who hear it. Ephesians 4:29 (AMPC)
A strong person will speak softly, smile, and be unmoved. They do not feel they have to prove anything to anybody. It takes a stronger man or woman to get ahold of their feelings and control them.
A fool will vent out his feelings.
A soft answer turns away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger. Proverbs 15:1 (AMPC)
Love isn’t complicated or harsh toward others in the name of righteousness.
Some think they are developing their spiritual gifts through the knowledge of the Word or how they operate in their spiritual gifts, wanting to come across as loud and bold, but instead, they come across as harsh. And it’s not godly.
When it comes across as loud and pushy, it’s not the spirit of God.
You can’t develop spiritually to the fullness without developing in love.
You can be strong and bold without being harsh.
The List of what Love doesn’t do can go on further than what I have covered. Here are a few more of what it doesn’t do without going into many details.
Love doesn’t steal
Love doesn’t murder
Love doesn’t gossip
Love doesn’t dishonor
Love doesn’t bear false witness
Love doesn’t condemn
Love doesn’t show out of control anger
Love isn’t abusive in any form, of physical, mental, verbal, and emotional.
Philippians 2:3 (AMP) Says, Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit [through factional motives, or strife], but with [an attitude of] humility [being neither arrogant nor self-righteous], regard others as more important than yourselves.
We need to examine ourselves daily. We allow the Holy Spirit to speak with instruction, direction, and correction. We look into our hearts to see how we walk in love.
When we see areas in our lives that aren’t lining up with walking in love, we go to our Heavenly Father, who is love, and allow Him to teach us how to walk in love.
