1 Corinthians 13:1-8 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 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. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
I can do amazing things, accomplish awe-inspiring tasks,
become rich and famous, become a world-renowned expert in my field, or achieve
some other description of “greatness,” but if I don’t love well, I’ve failed at
my primary calling. It’s your primary
calling as well. More accurately, it’s
our calling together. Doing anything
without love removes the goodness. It’s
actually an example of how I can be technically right about something and still
be wrong.
I come back to this passage again and again and it’s not a
sentimental exercise. Reading each time
convinces me how far short I fall on loving.
It sets the bar high. At the heart of my struggle is “it is not
self-seeking.” I often tell myself that I am loving in a selfless way, but I am
all too often deceiving myself. It
sometimes seems impossible to remove self-interest from our relationships. I hope my loving actions are noticed. I want
to hear “thank you.” I want to feel good about what I do. All that betrays my self-interest. Every once in a while, I feel like I get it
right, but it’s the exception, not the rule.
I want to do better. I want to do
better for God. I want to do better for you all. I want to do better even for people I don’t
like. This passage holds up the target,
the ideal. I’ll spend my whole life
moving towards it. And that‘s the point.
What about you all? Questions: (1) What does this passage
cause to happen in you? (2)What are
areas where you struggle to love the way this passage describes? (3) Other
thoughts?
Prayer: God, you love us perfectly. Help us to learn to love
by being loved that way. Amen.
Prayer Focus: It
seems like another good opportunity to pray for people that you don’t like.
Song: Only Selfless Love – Jamie Rivera – I have to confess.
This is not my favorite music, but I LOVE the lyrics
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