#DailyDevotion Do You Display This Kind Of Love?

1 Corinthians 13:1–13

If I speak the languages of men and of angels but don’t have any love, I’ve become a loud gong or a clashing cymbal. ²Even if I speak God’s Word and know every kind of hidden truth and have every kind of knowledge, even if I have all the faith to move mountains but don’t have any love, I’m nothing. ³Even if I give away all I have to feed the hungry and give up my body but only to boast and don’t have any love, it doesn’t help me. ⁴Love is patient. Love is kind. Love isn’t jealous. It doesn’t brag or get conceited. ⁵It isn’t indecent. It isn’t selfish. It doesn’t get angry. It doesn’t plan to hurt anyone. It doesn’t delight in evil but is happy with the truth. ⁷It bears everything, believes everything, hopes for everything, endures everything.

A favorite text for weddings no doubt and maybe even applicable if seen through the lens of Jesus Christ and his Bride the Church. It really is a beautiful text of scripture. Who doesn’t like listening about love, until you have to apply this text to yourself. Then you will find out if you are a hypocrite or not. The enemies of the Church often quote the first couple of verses against us and against pure doctrine. Against us because they do not see these qualities in us, which is probably a proper charge against us. Against pure doctrine because they see this as excuse to insert their lies into our faith. Paul certainly wrote this to the Corinthians because they were a Church divided and love was lacking among them. But he is not putting this text here as a foil against pure doctrine but rather pure doctrine without love. So have pure doctrine but be sure to add love to the pure teachings of Jesus.

So, if you’re honest with yourself when you hear these words, as wonderful as they sound, you probably cringe a little bit. I am often not patient, kind or jealous. I boast on occasion, don’t always have decent thoughts, am selfish, get angry, hurt people and I like hearing gossip on occasion. While I’m often happy with the truth I do delight sometimes in seeing my (perceived) enemies get their comeuppance. I don’t bear everything, believe everything, hope for everything and endure everything. So, I hear this text and feel the full brunt of God’s law weighing down upon my soul and breaking me down to pieces. Until…

I realize that God is love. Now I can place God in Christ Jesus in all those places. God is patient, kind, not jealous, doesn’t boast or get conceited. He isn’t indecent, selfish, or gets angry, hurt people, or delights in evil. God is the truth. He bears everything, believes everything, hopes for everything and endures everything. He is all these things for me in Christ Jesus. As John writes in his first epistle, 4, “¹⁰This is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the payment for our sins.” See we have to begin with God’s love. Then as John says in the same, “¹⁹We love because He first loved us.” If you find yourself not being this love Paul talks about, look to the Cross, see God’s great love for you and for all people. Then you will love as God loves.

Heavenly Father, you demonstrated your great love for us in Christ Jesus. Fill us with your Holy Spirit that as your children we may love one another as Christ has loved us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.