The Gift of Love
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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. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
The Corinthian Church forgot to love above all
The Corinthian Church forgot to love above all
a resounding gong, a clanging symbol.
I am nothing.
I gain nothing.
We forget that serving is loving
We forget that serving is loving
I don’t have time = other things are more important
I’m not as gifted as someone else = God made a mistake with me
It’s no big deal if I don’t serve as long as I attend and give--
It’s no big deal if I don’t love--
But look what we have lost… Look what we miss out on… Look at the purpose for which God made us
Apostolic, Prophetic, Evangelistic, Pastoral, Teaching-Oriented.
We are gifted but have we robbed ourselves of the greatest gift of all...
Coming to church you can have faith to stop the chaos in your life. You can have hope in a broken world. But it takes something more to experience the gift of love in its’ fullness...
Some people may use their gifts for their own glory. But more people today simply ignore their gifts. And in a way they are ignoring the opportunity to experience love. Settling for faith and hope. Without love?
Jesus’ love empowers a loving lifestyle
Jesus’ love empowers a loving lifestyle
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.
Love is active. Love is thinking of others. Love is out there healing and giving and serving. Just like Jesus.
For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:
Jesus’ love empowers our service
Jesus’ love empowers our service
Remember it was Jesus who called us out of darkness and into his glorious light. Remember it was Jesus who saved us from our sins by laying down his life. It was Jesus who gave us power over sin by being raised from the dead. It was Jesus who gifted each one of us when we ascended into heaven.
We have been commissioned to serve. But above all we have been commissioned to love.
What does love look like for you in this community of faith? How are others strengthened and built up in love and maturity through you? You gifted? You are loved. Jesus can share that gift of love through you...
What could love look like if we were all loving God and others in unison? What could change about our world? What could change in our neighborhoods? It can happen. Jesus is working toward it every day. Are we with him?
We can put away childish things. We can adult. We have a vision we are living toward. We see it only dimly now but it’s becoming clear. How we are gifted. How we can come together by God’s grace and see something birthed that will bring shade and shelter and salvation for generations to come.
We see in part, but if we keep on loving eventually we will know it as fully as God knows us. He knows us because he made us and loves us.
You’ve got faith. You’ve got hope. How well do you live love?