1 Corinthians 13
Scripture 1 Corinthians 13: 1-7 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Observation-What does it say? The Apostle Paul is writing to the Corinthian church and in the previous chapter, chapter 12, he was describing all the spiritual gifts. However, this chapter is basically Paul saying that out of ALL the spiritual gifts, LOVE is the most excellent way! Understanding-What does it mean?Love is absolutely necessary!What were the first 2 commandments that God gave in the Old Testament? (Hint: You can find them in Exodus 20:2-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21.)In the New Testament, how did Jesus say He would sum up the commandments? (Hint: Matthew 22: 36-40) Life ApplicationWithout love, we’re just wasting our time. They will know we are Christians by our love, NOT our works. As I’m writing this, my husband are celebrating 13 years of being married! Today is a celebration of our love commitment, vows and becoming one as husband and wife. This chapter in Scripture was used in our wedding and is very popular for Christian weddings! We made a commitment in front of a total of 200 family, friends, Pastors, ministry leaders, and most importantly God, through better or worse, sickness and health, for richer or poorer and ’til death do us part! Staying faithful to a love commitment like that is only possible through the Holy Spirit and our daily choice to put the Lord and each other first, lots of forgiveness, laughter, serving one another, and continued investment in each other! Now, let’s parallel this to church ministry and mission. It doesn’t matter what degree we have, what knowledge of God’s Word we have, what gifts or talents we’ve been blessed with, or what kind of sacrifices we make for the Kingdom like fasting, keeping the Sabbath, giving money to the poor, etc. Without deep love for the people we are trying to minister to, they won’t listen to us and we may actually turn people away from Jesus instead of towards Him.Let’s continue to be on mission for Jesus, but not forget that the most important ministry to the people is to love them in action and deed, the same way Jesus loves us, His church/bride. What are some ways you can do that? If you need help, I recommend that you watch/rewatch Justin's message from last Sunday. Here's the link:Mission Possible | Desert Streams Church-Michelle Gaddi