Scripture:
I Corinthians 13:1-13 NKJV
[1] Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. [2] And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. [3] And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. [4] Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; [5] does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; [6] does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; [7] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. [8] Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. [9] For we know in part and we prophesy in part. [10] But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. [11] When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. [12] For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. [13] And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Observation:
This scripture came to my mind last night as I was having a conversation with a brother of mine. It was actually the last part of it that was brought to my memory, but it’s all relevant and probably needs to be looked at. Paul’s life before the encounter he had with Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus was substantially different than the man who sat down to write this chapter in 1st Corinthians. He was a Pharisee. He held himself and all those around him to such a high standard that when someone failed to meet that standard. The penalty was death. His life was devoid of any of the characteristics that are described here. Anger resentment self self-righteousness and a sense of superiority were the guides to all his decisions. Jesus Christ transformed his life, and that became clear as we read through this chapter. If we take ourselves back to the book of Acts, chapter 9, right after Stephen had been stoned to death. Paul’s anger still controlled him. It took an encounter with love to do anything about it. Once he saw that in action, it changed him into a man who would sit down and write the greatest definition of love that we could ever read. What an amazing work had been done. A man who was willing to kill whoever got in his way, thinking he was fulfilling the will of GOD, suddenly became the same man who would later on willingly lay his neck over a chopping block for the same people he had sought to eliminate. I don’t know about you, but I see the miracle-working power, and all because of an encounter with love on a road to murder. GOD’S will was revealed to Paul that day. He knew his greatest weapon was not the letter he had in his possession that gave him permission to do vile things. But the love he was shown by the LORD in the revealing of HIS will. Love is the weapon that extinguishes all. Just like you can’t fight evil with more evil. Hate will never eliminate hate. Paul had a divine understanding of that. In fact, he tells us here that it doesn’t matter what you do. If there is no love in your heart, it’s all in vain. You can talk to a thousand people about Jesus, but what’s your motivation? If it’s not love, you’re wasting your time. As Paul describes what love really looks like. He doesn’t shy away from the truth. His description of it is filled with compassion. As I picture him writing this, I can almost see him thinking about the day that changed his life forever. The patience and kindness that were shown to him as he was picked up off the ground blinded by the light of who Jesus Christ is and laid in a bed to be healed by one of the men he had set out to destroy. The thought running through his mind… why would you kay your hands on me to heal me? I came here to kill you. What he was shown in those three days would draw a picture in his brain that would echo through time and bring his pen to the parchment he was now writing on. It was that kind of love that changed his life. Patient kind enduring love that brought him to a point of submission and surrender to the LORD. A point of spiritual maturity that would put his emotions aside and desire for even his enemies to see the grace and mercy that is freely offered by what the Son of GOD had done. The love that Paul was shown disarmed him. All the self-righteous judgment went away, and a heart of flesh was placed in him. In the face of who Jesus Christ is, we can’t help but see who we are and what we deserve. We are all worthy of being nailed to a cross. No one is exempt. HIS love took our place knowing that at some point, we would have an encounter with it and see how deep HIS love really runs.
Application:
It’s hard to put down the old me sometimes. When I see someone who doesn’t treat me right, I still want to react. It’s hard to remember that love washed the feet of the men who would turn him over to be nailed to a cross. Putting away my childish emotions and loving those who seemingly hate me enough to lay my life down for them. It’s not an easy request. But there is no greater love, and honestly, it’s time to grow into that kind of love. It’s so disarming. Love takes away every weapon the enemy has. It covers a multitude of sins. It’s forgiving by nature and wants the best for everyone. The bible says love is the fulfillment of the law. But it’s hard… It’s hard to set down our human side and try to see things as GOD sees them. It’s hard to put down what we think is right and let the LORD do what’s right. We can only see part of the picture, and the part of the picture we see is always tied to our emotions. Our emotions are used to get us to do and say things that should not be said and done. GOD is working all things for good. If you don’t believe that, then the truth that is in the bible is in question, and at that, your fight is not with me, but with GOD. Walking with spiritual maturity means wanting our enemies to experience the same grace mercy and peace that we have through salvation in Jesus Christ. My suggestion is to just love them all and let GOD sort it out. That doesn’t mean hide the truth. That means having the spiritual maturity to shake the hand of someone who is out to get you knowing that love is our greatest weapon.
Prayer:
Father, as I write this I can’t help but see how wonderful you are, and how limited our perspective is. It’s hard to try to wrap our human minds around the kind of love you have not only shown us but are asking us to show others as well. Our human emotions get in the way of loving the way you love, and although we try… we still fail. Help us to see everyone through your eyes. You have made each and every person who walks this earth you knew them before you placed them in the womb and had a plan for their life as you chose to place them there. Help us to see that love is the answer, not the kind of love that the world tries to tell us is right, but the love that is described right here in your word. Love that does not hide the truth but finds a way to say it that does not tare some down but builds them up instead. We want to be used by you and if we want to be used by you we have to love like you. Let our lives be a reflection of the fact that we have spent time with the greatest love of all. Your SON. And it’s in his mighty name we pray, amen.