1 CORINTHIANS 13:1-8a – If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.
THEME OF THE DAY. NOT WHAT YOU DO, BUT HOW YOU LOVE. Today’s scripture is known as “the love chapter” in our Bibles. Portions of it are read or used in weddings. Plaques are constructed and hung in living rooms, dens and offices for encouragement. Magnets or cards with some of these verses hang on refrigerators or other appliances. In and of themselves, they are beautiful to read, hear and inspiring. However, they were not penned by the Apostle Paul for any of those reasons. If he walked into a room or attended a wedding and heard, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends”, he might stand up and say, “That was really wonderful, but that isn’t why I wrote it. This is not an emotional affirmation. This was an indictment against a people who were not living this love out in their lives.”
The context of today’s scripture is the messed up church at Corinth. Gross immorality, sinful partiality, abuse of spiritual gifts and the Lord’s Table, divisions, backbiting, gossip, and a host of other God-dishonoring sin abounded in their fellowship. And the underlying cause, even empowerment, in all their sinful activity was this lack of love and living under the control of Christ’s love (2 Corinthians 5:14). As bad as this situation was, there was something else very alarming and deceiving. It appears the ministry went on. “Christian” service went on. Look at all the activities Paul mentions indicating this spiritually sick church was “doing Christianity” – use of spiritual gifts, presence of knowledge and faith, sacrificially giving of resources, even a willingness to sacrifice one’s health. Yet, Paul summarizes all by saying, “If any of this activity was not birthed by Christ’s love, motivated by Christ’s love, and sustained by Christ’s love, all is worthless.”
Think about this for a moment on a personal level. On the day of judgment, yes, there is a day for each of us to stand face-to-face with the Lord Jesus to give a detailed account of our lives (2 Corinthians 5:10), when standing there, it won’t be all the Christian “stuff” we did, all the service and activity we did in our churches that will matter most. No, what will be front and center as the measuring tool of our lives will be . . .”Did we love people sacrificially and sincerely as Jesus modeled and commanded us?”
One of the most important things we do in the Christian life is love by living under the control of Christ’s love (2 Corinthians 5:14). Make this our daily passion and pursuit for Judgment Day is coming, and what will be revealed is, not primarily what we did, but how did we love.
PRAYER: “Father, help me see loving people sacrificially and spiritually is what matters most now and for eternity.”
QUOTE: “You can spend a lifetime serving the Lord but if not motivated and maintained by His love, it is worthless.”