The Lord led me back to 1 Corinthians 13 today. I have heard and read this so many times, it’s like blah blah blah. Really? Why do I so easily dismiss the word of the Lord no matter how many times I have read it? That was the first blow. But I read it again. Then I read the chapter before, because it matters to see what has been happening before we got to this point. I saw something interesting. Chapter 12 is about spiritual gifts, that we all have different ones and are to play a different role in the body. The very last verse in chapter 12 “But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I show you still a more excellent way”. More excellent than any of the gifts He has given to us? LOVE!
1 Corinthians 13
1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.
This really just hit home today. I really saw this chapter, love is more important than even the giftings He has given us. Above anything else we are to love. I think we tend to take love lightly. The word in greek for love in the above passage is Agape, and is set apart from Eros – romantic love and Phileo – brotherly love.
Agape love is sacrificial and not based on our feelings, but rather a determined act of will. It is about putting others above ourselves. This is obviously not something that comes easy to us; we must look to the source of love, God. He is love and only He can show us how to love like He does. We must look past the faults of others and be determined to show them love no matter what.
I want this in my life. I want to learn to love more and better. I want to take this more seriously, Love is important! Without love, I am nothing!
