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If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have 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 do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:1-13)
Have you done a spiritual gifts inventory lately? Is there a category for love? There should be. One could be the greatest preacher that ever lived, rank high on the scale of spiritual gifts and graces, but if that person does not have love; Fail! One could be the greatest Sunday school teacher that ever lived, rank high one the scale of talents and resources for excellent teaching, but if that person does not have love; Fail! Such was the inventory that was being reported to the Apostle Paul. The church as it was defining itself and as the Holy Spirit was working among them, the comparisons and the quarrels began; who is the greatest coffee maker? Who buys and brings the best donuts to church? Paul got to the point where he sat down and wrote this beautiful explanation of spiritual gifts and what really matters in a person's life and service as a believer and follower of Christ Jesus.
Love is the foundation and all other things should spring forth from that. And Paul lists carefully what he considers as essential to love; charity, self-sacrifice and service, patience, kindness, humility, giving, sharing, understanding; all of these, plus a spirit of one who keeps no record of past misdeeds or wrongs. One who works steadfastly with others, endures all things, has faith in all things, has a great hope for the big picture of things. These things coming from a person's heart, will never end. Pauls sums it up in this way; take these three awesome things that we should have; faith, hope, and love - and the greatest of these is love.
Jesus summed it up by saying, "Love one another." If the church does not have love, it is in the wrong business.
PRAYER: Loving God, examine my heart. If You see a lacking of love in there, fill me up! I want to be a person of love. This I pray in the name of He who is love, Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
