GREEK
WORD WITH ENGLISH TRANSLITERATION: πιπτω (pipto)
PRONUNCIATION:
PIP-toe
STRONG’S
CONCORDANCE #: 4098
MEANING:
fall; fail; fell
BACKGROUND
OF WORD (ETYMOLOGY): occurs 89 times in the NT, most
frequently in Revelation (23 times), and 47 times in the Gospels; usually had
the idea of falling unintentionally (stars falling from heaven; lightning
falling from heaven; seeds falling to the ground; came also to describe the act
of one falling down in worship;
HOW
TRANSLATED IN KJV, NASB AND/OR ESV: fell; fall; fall down; fallen; fail
#
OF TIMES USED IN THE GREEK NEW TESTAMENT: 89
KEY
VERSE IN THE BIBLE WHERE GREEK WORD USED: 1 Corinthians
13:8 "Love never fails
(πιπτω)."
THOUGHT
FOR THE DAY:
As Paul comes to the
conclusion of his fabulous text in 1 Corinthians 13 about the agape love of God, he
concludes powerfully in verse 8 by
affirming that “love never fails....”
The word “faileth”
is the Greek word pipto, a word that dates back to classical Greece and generally means to fall from a high position. It
was also used on rare occasions to depict a warrior who fell in battle. In
many places the word pipto is
used to depict falling into
ruin, into destruction, into some kind of misfortune, or
into disappointment. In 1 Corinthians 13:8, Paul
uses this word to affirm the eternal truth that love never disappoints or fails.
It is simply the truth
that human beings often fail each other. I'm
sure you have felt let down by someone else at some point
along the way. And if you're honest about your own dealings with
others, you'll have to admit that you have been guilty of letting
others down as well. But agape love — God's
love — never disappoints, never fails, and
never lets anyone down. It is a love that can
always be depended on and is always reliable.
People you know and
respect may occasionally fall from the high position they hold in life — and
that can be an emotionally difficult experience for you when you see it happen. Other
times, fellow warriors may fall in battle or
stumble into some kind of misfortune that disappoints you, and
that is painful as well.
But you can be sure that
the agape love
of God will never fail you or let you down. This
love is constant, unchanging, and unbendable. It
is a love you will always find to be reliable and true — a
love on which you can depend.
God wants you
to learn to function in His high-level
agap¢ love, which
is why the Holy Spirit so carefully inspired the apostle Paul to write these
famous words in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. This
passage of Scripture is God's mirror, designed for
us to look into so we can see how well we fare at walking in the agape love of God.
CHALLENGE
FOR THE DAY:
Are you walking in this kind of love?
Have you achieved the level of love that God wants you to have in your life? Do
you manifest this type of love to others who are around you? Or do you now see
that you still have areas in your life where you need to grow, develop, and
change in regard to walking in love? Has
someone you love failed you in their love for you?
I plead with you to spend time in prayer
about this issue of God's love in your life. How you relate to others, love
others, and impact others is the most important question in your life. Since
this is such a vital issue, don't you think it's worth your time to get into
the Presence of the Lord and ask Him to reveal those areas in your love walk
that need to be improved?
Likewise, if there is someone who HAS
failed in how they love, ask God today to restore that love in their
heart. Ask God to rekindle that love in
His way.
PRAYER
FOR THE DAY:
Lord, I want to be the embodiment of Your love. I know that I
fall very short of the agape love that You desire to see operating in my life.
Therefore, I am asking You to help me move upward to the highest level of love
so I can be a channel through which this love can be poured out to others whom
I know and meet. Just as You have loved me, help me become a life-changing
source of divine love to other people. For
those who have failed me in their love, help me to forgive them Father and to
pray for them more diligently. Please
restore that lost love in their heart.
I pray this in Jesus' name! Amen.
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