Love Does Not Act Unbecomingly
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September 30, 2012 |
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 "[Love] does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered." (1 Corinthians 13:5)
To act unbecomingly means being rude, lacking courtesy, or a breach of propriety. Of course, the ways of greeting or talking might be different depending on times and generations. But still there is basic courtesy that should be observed among people. Surprisingly however, many people act rudely but they don't recognize their rudeness. In particular, they tend to be ill-mannered to those they are close to. You might say it's ok to act a little rudely to your friend because you are very close to him, but your rude actions and words can hurt his feelings.
If you have true love, you won't act unbecomingly. What if you have a costly jewel that means a lot to you? Would you treat it carelessly? You would probably treat it with great care, even fearing that it might get a single scratch. Then, if you really love your friends, how deeply would you cherish them!
1. Cases in which people are rude to God
Some people say they love God, but their actions and words are far from showing their love for Him. The typical case is to doze off during worship services. Let's say that at his or her invitation you visited the president of your country. If you dozed off while talking, it would be absolutely rude. But, while you offer up worship services to God, the LORD of hosts, if you are drowsy or doze off before Him, it can't help but be dubious whether your love for Him is true. It's also rude to talk to your friends and have idle thoughts during worship services. It shows that you lack a sense of reverence towards God.
It's rude to preachers if you talk, have idle thoughts, and doze off while they are preaching. They might be concerned whether their messages are giving grace to you or not. It sometimes stops the Holy Spirit's inspiration for preachers. In the end, if you do these things in the service, it is harmful to others who are attending as well as being harmful to you yourself.
Leaving the service early is also included in ill-mannered behaviors. Except for those who have to perform their duties related to service procedures, you need to remain seated until the end of the service and concentrate on it. You should give all your heart, from the silent prayer or the Apostles' Creed until the benediction or the Lord's Prayer. The same applies throughout the whole service including the times when you praise, pray, give offerings, and listen to the announcements. You have to offer the same kind of earnest heart to God when you offer praise worship services and cell services as well as the church's official services.
To offer worship service up with all your hearts, you must not be late for it first. It is rude to be late for an appointment with people, but how much rude it would be to be late for that with God! It is appropriate courtesy to prepare for the service with prayer beforehand. Additionally, rudeness to God includes attending services after drinking liquor or smoking, as well as using your cell phones, allowing children to talk loudly and play, chewing gum, and eating during the services.
Your demeanor is also important. If you go to church in clothing that you wear at home without proper care, it is a breach of propriety. You should come with a clean and neat appearance. There is surely an exception. You might sometimes attend Wednesday Service or Friday All-night Service in work clothes because you come in a hurry from work. In the case, God doesn't say you are rude before Him. Rather He is pleased with your heart that wants to attend the service although you are busy.
If you interrupt someone's prayer by tapping him on his shoulder due to some urgent matters or he stops his prayer immediately for you, both conducts are rude because you and he stop the conversation with God lopsidedly.
When we worship God and pray in spirit and truth, God accepts our hearts with joy and repays us with blessings and rewards. On the other hand, if we are increasingly and frequently becoming rude, we pile up the wall of sins against God. Then, we have to suffer various problems like diseases or accidents or it's hard to receive answers even if we pray for a long time.
2. Cases in which people are rude in the sanctuary
The sanctuary doesn't only refer to the sanctuary itself. It includes the church yards, additional facilities, and other places inside of the church. Thus, we need to pay special attention to what we say and do in any of the church's place. We must not fight or talk about the worldly businesses or pleasures. We must not damage sacred objects that belong to the church and use offering envelopes for our own personal purpose.
Selling and buying must be strictly banned in the church. Some people don't think they violated it though they used electronic payments and got what they bought in offices in the church. But it is evidently included in the activity of selling and buying. Think about Jesus who overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling animals to be used for sacrifices in the temple as recorded in Matthew 21:12-13. He didn't permit them to sell or buy even animals that were used for sacrifice, so it's never acceptable to buy or sell in the church for one's own personal purpose. We must not have a bazaar in the church, either.
The sanctuary is a place specially separated only to offer up worship services to God and communicate with Him. We must not forget about the holiness of the church and sanctuary and we must act unbecomingly before God.
3. Cases in which people are rude to other people
You might be rude to others when you seek your own benefit without consideration of others' circumstances. We also need to be courteous when we call others though it appears minor. We must not call them late at night or talk a lot to them when they are busy. It might cause troubles to them. Being late for an appointment and appearing abruptly before others and in their places are also rude.
Some people think that if they observe all those things, it may make their close relations uncomfortable. Of course, some of them are really close such that they don't see each other's faults. But nobody knows others' hearts 100 %. Let's suppose one thinks he is close to another person. But it's not always true that the person also thinks in the same way. Therefore, we should try hard to put ourselves in others' shoes all the time.
For instance, many people hurt their close friends' feelings with careless words. If you act rudely to your family or close friends, your relations with them can become worse than those with others. Also, some people act unbecomingly to younger people or people in lower positions. They just talk down to them or give an unpleasant feeling to them by ignoring or ordering them.
Today, it's hard to find people who serve their parents or teachers from the bottom of their hearts although they certainly deserve it. Some say they can't help it because the generations have changed. But there are things that can never be changed even with the passage of time. Leviticus 19:32 reads, "You shall rise up before the grayheaded and honor the aged, and you shall revere your God; I am the LORD." God wants us to perform our duties well as men, so we should not be rude to others by abiding by even the law and order of the world.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, most people spend much of their time in meeting, talking, working, or having a meal with others. But all people are different in education, knowledge, country, culture, and the like. Then, what should be the standard of courtesy? It is the law of love inside our hearts.
The law of love refers to the law of God who is love itself. To the extent that we keep His Word in our hearts and act according to it, we can live by the instructions of the Lord, and then won't be rude to anybody. Another indication embedded in the law of love is 'consideration.' Being considerate of others can exercise great power. I pray in the name of the Lord you will serve everybody with courtesy as though you serve the Lord.
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