I heard a great sermon on Sunday, and I thought I would share some of what I have been thinking about since. The sermon was based on 1 Corinthians 13 – perhaps one of the most well known pieces of Scripture ever – especially if you’ve ever been to a Christian wedding! It goes like this:1 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. (NLT)
So, why is LOVE important?
Without it, all I SAY is ineffective. “If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” Did you ever encounter someone that may have good things to say, but the way they say them made it impossible to hear? It happens in the church all the time, because we can speak religious words, but if love is not the foundation of our lives, we can actually be destructive instead of holy.
Without love, all that I KNOW is incomplete. “If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge… but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.” People don’t want a know-it-all, they want a love-it-all. Love makes people safe enough to learn.
Without love, all I BELIEVE is insufficient. “…and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.” This truth is one of the hardest for Christians to grasp, because, frankly, our belief doesn’t count if it’s not based on love. Ouch. You mean, it may be more that reciting a “Sinner’s Prayer?”
Without love, all I GIVE is insignificant. “If I gave everything I have to the poor… but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.” This particular verse should cause a real heart check, because often we think that giving is loving. But the motives behind giving are sneaky sometimes – we can actually give for self-seeking reasons or out of obligation – and a regular searching of our hearts is in order.
Without love, all I ACCOMPLISH is inadequate. “If I…even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.” Yes, love acts, but Paul is telling us that even martyrs can have incorrect intentions. I think, today, we can work and work and work for God (whether inside or outside the church) but often we accomplish things as a part of striving, not as a reflection of what God has done for us. Understanding what drives us it critical.
I am going to work through some of these ideas more in depth this week. In essence, I am going to think out loud as I process what this means for myself. I may not get it all right, but I hope you’ll join me anyway, because REAL LOVE is hard to resist. And, honestly, who would want to?
3 comments:
Good thoughts! Question on the GIVING bullet: is it is feasible that one could gain at least a tax credit?
Sorry;)
I don’t think this is the first time you’ve blogged about 1 Corinthians 13. This is a tough passage because it’s the kind that reminds us just how far from perfection we really are. (Maybe I’m just talking about myself here.) Clearly there is no value in acting out of insincere motives, i.e. we shouldn’t give in order to receive. Anyway, I’m interpreting the passage to mean that love is THE barometer of maturity. If this is true, I’m a little worried because there seems to be a link between love and feelings/motivation/drive. And for me, I frequently have to act out of obedience, not necessarily insincere motives, but not necessarily love either. I’m hoping there’s some love in obedience, but I’m not feeling it.
My mother is well versed in the Bible. Over the Christmas holiday, she attended Grandparent's Day at our son's elementary school. Our 10-year-old son is very proud of his school, warts and all, and he was excited to show off his school to his grandmother. After the program, my mother, in front of my son, took the Principal aside to complain that while the school holiday display included objects from several religious persuasions as well as several cultural icons, the school failed to include a nativity scene. While her motives were pure, it was apparent that her need to be right an apparent wrong got in the way of some loving insight, which, had she been paying attention, would have allowed her to see the 10-year-old boy next to her who was wilting in the presence of her "righteous" argument. So important to make sure we check our position, no matter how "right" with a loving attitude.
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