Bible Society of South Africa
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40 DAYS — Time with God
40 DAYS – Time with God – Day 20

40 DAYS – Time with God – Day 20

Enduring Love

by Pat Baxter

Itekisi yeBhayibhile

1 KWABASEKORINTE 13

1Ewe kambe, ndingade ndibe liciko lokuthetha iilwimi zabantu, ndide ndithethe nezezithunywa zezulu – kodwa ndingenalo uthando, intetho yam isuka ibe yingxolo nje, efana neyentsimbi ehlokomayo, necangci elikhenkcezayo. 2Ndingade ndibe naso nesiphiwo sokushumayela ngefuthe, ndinalo lonke ulwazi, ndizazi nezinto ezingàziwa mntu, ndinalo nokholo olugungqisa iintaba, kodwa ndingenalo uthando, andinto konke! 3Ewe, nokuba ndinganikisa ngempahla yam yonke, ndide nam ngokwam ndizinikele ukuba nditshiswe, kodwa ke ndingenalo uthando, akuncedi nto konke-konke.

4Uthando lunomonde, lunobubele. Uthando alunamona, alugwagwisi, lungakhukhumali. 5Uthando alugezi, alufuni okukokwalo, alunachuku, alunanzondo. 6Uthando aluvuyiswa bububi, luvuyiswa yinyaniso. 7Uthando aluncami; lukholwa zizinto zonke, luthemba izinto zonke, lunyamezela izinto zonke.

8Uthando alupheli. Zikho zona iintshumayelo ezinefuthe, kodwa ziyatshitsha. Zikho neziphiwo zokuthetha iilwimi, kodwa nazo ziyabhanga. Kukwakho nokwazi, kodwa kuyadlula nako. 9Kaloku ezi ziphiwo sinazo zokwazi nokushumayela azigqibelelanga. 10Kodwa ke xa kuthe kwafika oko kugqibeleleyo okungagqibelelanga kuya kuphuthiswa konke.

11Xeshikweni bendingumntwana, bendithetha njengomntwana, ndicinga njengomntwana, ndinezimvo zobuntwana; njengoko ke ndimdala, ndahlukene ngoku neendlela zobuntwana. 12Into esiyibonayo ngoku yimbonakalo nje eluzizi ngokungathi sikhangele esipilini; kanti ke ngoko siya kubona ngokucacileyo. Ukwazi kwam ngoku akugqibelelanga, kanti ke ndokwazi kakuhle ngoko, kufane nokundazi kwakhe uThixo ukwazi kwam.

13Ngalinye ke, zintathu izinto eziya kuhlala zihleli: lukholo, nethemba, nothando. Engaphezu kwazo zonke ke luthando.

1 KWABASEKORINTE 13XHO96Vula kumfundi weBhayibhile

When we sometimes feel alone or weary, or the road seems tough, is it not wonderful to be reminded of real love? The love that Paul was talking about in Corinthians: ‘that bears all things, believes all things, endures all things.’

The picture of Jesus as bridegroom comes to mind. He is excited to woo you. He is joyful about the relationship. With Jesus as our bridegroom, we can expect as a Church to have an extraordinary lover: one who bears the pain and believes that God’s love can conquer all things. It is this Christ who can give us the experience of being completely alive, who can heighten every sense and fling us into the heavens. It is a kind of love that Brad Swieger, a contemporary writer, says: ‘Makes the ordinary extraordinary.’ Isn’t it wonderful to have such a lover to rely on? Isn’t it amazing to feel that we are not alone on this journey?

Bible Society of South Africav.4.26.9
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