4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;[b] 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a)
What a timely message, don't you think? Love is not arrogant. In that age of social media, even those who are, or say they are believers act in such pride and arrogance. The Bible has quite a bit to say on the subject of arrogance. Paul, in his letter to the Romans, though, gives a very stinging description:
"For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned." (Romans 12)
How often do we think of ourselves more highly than we ought? How often do believers tell others "you should do this or that," because we read about it in some article we posted on social media? How often do we go around slinging stones at one another because we think we are an authority? Do we stop and think about ourselves with sober judgement? True love examines one's self first, not for the sake of seeing how much better I am than the other, but to see where I am deficient, and so submit to God my own inconsistencies so that I may build my weaker brother (loose term there for my sake) up, and that I may walk in the constant and consistent knowledge of who saved me and from what. Christians, we're not in any way the authorities, though the Lord has appointed some of us in to leadership in His church. We are those who, instead, point people to Christ, who is given all power and authority, and showed us such with grace and humility.
This is how we should walk (I know, I just told us all what we should do, but I promise I'm not trying to be arrogant!), Like Jesus Christ. Jesus was patient, kind, self-sacrificing, pointing only to His Father, humble, and well-spoken. He insisted on His Father's way, not getting agitated, nor resenting His adversaries intentions. Jesus rejoiced in the truth, and bears all things, hopes all things, and endures all things for our sake. Should we, then, not try and insert our own name in the qualities of love to be like the one who loves us in to eternity?
From Philippians 2:
"1So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,a 6who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,b 7but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant,c being born in the likeness of men. 8And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
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