1 Corinthians 13:7 – “Love bears all things…”
Oswald Golter was a missionary in northern China during the 1940’s. After ten years’ service he was returning home. His ship stopped in India, and while waiting for a boat home he found a group of refugees living in a warehouse on the pier. Unwanted by anyone else the refugees were stranded there. Golter went to visit them. As it was Christmas-time wished them a merry Christmas and asked them what they would like for Christmas.
“We’re not Christians,” they said. “We don’t believe in Christmas.”
“I know,” said the missionary, “but what do you want for Christmas?” They described some German pastries they were particularly fond of, and so Oswald Golter cashed in his ticket, used the money to buy baskets and baskets of the pastries, took them to the refugees, and wished them a merry Christmas.
When he later repeated the incident to a class, a student said, “But sir, why did you do that for them? They weren’t Christians. They don’t even believe in Jesus.”
“I know,” he replied, “but I do!” (Source: Oswald Galter and Unconditional Love. Storiesforpreaching.com).
Love sustains and supports all things. Everything rests on the power of love. Love carries all things. Behind the English word in 1 Cor. 13:7 lay the Greek verb stego, translated as “bear.”
Stego has several meaning, depending on its associations. It could mean here that love bears up under all things, that love has the power to endure a lot. Apostle Paul uses stego this way in 1 Thess. 3:5. But here, Paul uses it as it bears all things up. Love carries everything.
If you are having difficulty with your relationship, no matter what the issues are, let your love carry all things.
