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VARIATIONS ON I CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 13

 

The following variations of I Corinthians 13 are included on this page:
Select from the various editions, or scroll down to view each.

I Corinthians 13 for Husbands

I Corinthians 13 for Wives

I Corinthians 13 for Parents

I Corinthians 13 for Mothers

I Corinthians 13 for Teachers

I Corinthians 13 for Eschatological Enthusiasts

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

I Corinthians 13
For Husbands

By Jim Fowler

If I speak with the authority of the head of the house,
but do not have love,
I am just blowing off steam.
If I claim to know the mysteries of marriage
and to have knowledge of gender distinctions,
but do not have love,
I am just an arrogant theorist.
If I provide enough money for my wife's every whim
and sacrifice myself on the altar of marital success,
but do not have love,
I am just another bankrupt marital casualty.

A husband's love is patient when she is never ready on time,
Kind even when she is in "one of her moods,"
And not jealous of her social skills and friends.

A loving husband is not arrogant of his logical abilities
and the fact that he is usually right.
He treats his wife like a "lady,"
with thoughtfulness and tenderness,
And does not selfishly pursue his own interests and hobbies
to the exclusion of her interests.

A loving husband is not provoked when she does not think or act as he expects,
and does not keep a list of all the times when she has hurt or wronged him.

The love of a husband bears all the misunderstandings,
Believes that God is sufficient to make the marriage work,
Hopes that the relationship will glorify God,
and endures all the inevitable difficulties.

If there be marriage seminars, they will be forgotten.
If there are libraries of books on marriage, they will be destroyed.
If there are theories of gender distinctions and marital roles, they will fade away.

There now abides in the Christian husband,
Faith that God knew what He was doing when He created us male and female,
and the hope that their marriage union
will represent the union of Christ and the Christian as God intended.
But the greatest is love which allows us to seek the highest good of the other
without selfishly considering what we get out of it.

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I Corinthians 13
For Wives

By Jim Fowler

If I exercise my freedom to speak my mind and say what I think,
but do not have love,
I am just a squeaky wheel or a dripping faucet.
If I know the mysteries of how to please a man
and the guidelines of a Proverbs 31 wife,
but do not have love,
I am just going through the motions.
If I submit myself to my husband in total availability,
and do not give myself in love,
I am but a pitiful marital martyr.

A wife's love is patient with all her husband's "big ideas,"
adaptable to his preferences,
and supportive of his leadership.

The love of a Christian wife does not nag;
does not keep a running list of all the times he has hurt her feelings.
It is not provoked when he does not pick up his own things,
does not come home when he says he will,
or wants to do something at inconvenient times.

In love for her husband a wife will keep herself attractive,
join him in his recreational pursuits,
and express her admiration for him often.

A wife's love bears all the insensitivities,
believes that God will mold the marriage and the man as He desires,
hopes that God will be glorified in what they do,
and endures the inevitable marital conflicts (OK - fights!).

All the feminist propaganda will disappear.
All the latest fashion styles will soon be old-fashioned.
All the material things will break down and deteriorate.

Now abides faith in God's sufficiency,
Hope for a marriage that glorifies God,
But the greatest of these is Love
that puts the other first so as to enjoy God's intent for marriage.

 

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I Corinthians 13
For Parents

By Jim Fowler

If I speak the truisms of generations of parents,
but do not have love for my children,
I am but a nag or a screamer.
If I know all the mysteries of parents,
and have all the knowledge of Dr. Spock and Dr. Dobson combined,
and have the faith that these techniques cannot fail,
but do not love my children,
I am a parental failure.
If I give myself sacrificially,
giving all my time and all my money,
and become a parental martyr,
but do not have love for my children through it all,
it all adds up to a total loss.

Loving my children involves being patient to let God work in their lives,
being sensitive to their feelings,
and aware of their hurts and concerns.

Loving my children means not comparing them to me or any other,
not being envious of their successes,
not trying to protect my reputation by governing their activities.

Love for my children is not irritable, agitated or moody.
It does not hold grudges and refuse to forgive.
It does not expect them to be perfect or rejoice in punishment,
but rejoices when they learn to walk with God.

The love of a parent is not condescending,
does not demand conformity to projected expectations,
is willing to admit personal failure,
and is unconditional no matter what they do.

All the parenting theories will pass away.
All the lectures will blow in the wind.
All the tears and concerns will be overcome.

What remains is my faith in God,
and my hope for my children,
but the greatest asset of parenting is the love
which only God can produce in my heart for my children.

 

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I Corinthians 13
For Mothers

Adapted by Jim Fowler

If I live in a house of spotless beauty with everything in its place,
but have not love,
I am a housekeeper ­ not a homemaker.
If I have time for waxing, polishing, and decorative achievements,
but have not love,
my children learn cleanliness ­ not godliness.
If I scream at my children for every infraction,
and fault them for every mess they make,
but have not love,
my children become people-pleasers ­ not obedient children.

Love leaves the dust in search of a child's laugh.
Love smiles at the tiny fingerprints on a newly cleaned window.
Love wipes away the tears before it wipes up the spilled milk.
Love picks up the child before it picks up the toys.

Love accepts the fact that I am the ever-present "mommy,"
the taxi-driver to every childhood event,
the counsellor when my children fail or are hurt.

Love crawls with the baby, walks with the toddler, and runs with the child,
then stands aside to let the youth walk into adulthood.

Before I became a mother I took glory in my house of perfection.
Now I glory in God's perfection of my child.
All the projections I had for my house and my children
have faded away into insignificance,
And what remain are the memories of my kids.

Now there abides in my home scratches on most of the furniture,
dishes with missing place settings,
and bedroom walls full of stickers, posters and markings,
But the greatest of all is the Love
that permeates my relationships with my children.

 

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I Corinthians 13
For Teachers

By Jim Fowler

If I teach with the best educational techniques,
and provide stimulating and motivational lessons,
but have not love,
I am but a time-wasting information processor.
If I spend hours preparing my lesson plans
with the clearest instructional objectives,
but have not love,
I am just an over-organized ideologue.
If I utilize the most eye-catching visual aids
and the latest classroom technology,
but have not love,
I am just a high-tech visionary.

A loving teacher is kind and patient with every student,
regards each student as an important individual,
and treats their personal problems with confidence.
A loving teacher does not merely talk at, but relates to, the students,
and provides a exemplary model of life to those in the classroom.

A teacher's love is not condescending,
does not play favorites,
does not gossip,
does not publicly humiliate,
is not easily agitated or discouraged,
and does not blow-up or give-up on misbehaving students.

A teacher's love bears the responsibility of instruction,
Believes that student's minds should not be wasted,
Hopes that every student will achieve their potential,
and endures all distrubances in the process.

The latest text-books will soon be out-of-date.
Contemporary teaching methods will become outmoded.
Educational technology is obsolete before we know it,
but a loving teacher can affect a student's life forever.

Now abideth preparation, instruction, and love,
But the greatest of these is a teacher's love
that seeks the highest good of the students.

 

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I Corinthians 13
For Eschatological Enthusiasts

By Jim Fowler

If I endorse a particular millennial viewpoint of eschatology,
and am convinced that this is "the plan of God for the ages,"
but do not have love,
then all I have is dogmatic theology.
If I think that I have the prophetic details all figured out,
and the mysteries of the book of Revelation,
and am knowledgable about the hermeneutics of interpreting Scripture,
but do not have love,
I am nothing but an egotistical commentator.
And if I am so convinced that this understanding is the basis for true "spirituality"
and am willing to sacrifice my time, money and reputation to propagate my belief-system,
but do not have love,
it is of no value.

Love allows latitude of liberty,
is considerate of other's opinions,
and is not engaged in competition with other Christians.
Love is not puffed up with pride over having figured out God's intents,
nor discourteous with those who disagree.
Love does not demand that it be "my way or no way,"
or take offense at those who think differently
by hurling upon them the label of "heretic."
Love rejoices that Truth is a Person and not a system of eschatology.

Love knows when to keep its mouth shut,
when to give the benefit of the doubt,
is optimistic of how God will work,
and desires God's unity among His people.

Prophetic speculations will be done away with.
All the clamoring opinions of millennial theories will be silenced.
Eschatological belief-systems will become obsolete.
When the end comes, the partial knowledge
of eschatological considerations will be done away,
and we will see and know God and all His ways.

Now there abides faith which has not yet become sight,
Hope which has not yet become ultimate fulfillment,
but Love is the greatest for it builds up the Body of Christ presently,
and will be eternally expressed as the character of God in the heavenly realm.



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