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.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
Love is a way of being. It's a rule of life we can choose to follow.
But knowledge puffs up while love builds up.
1 Corinthians 8:1
Love gives our gifts purpose.
"Paul is combating here the false view of Christian spirituality present in Corinth and its consequences, which entailed a fractured community. For Paul, the essence of true spirituality is self-sacrificial love, not gifts, knowledge, or miraculous power."
Bottom Line: Even the most impressive things are worthless without love.
“If you want a good litmus test of your spiritual growth, simply examine the nature and quality of your relationships with others.”
― M. Robert Mulholland Jr., Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation
Action Steps
Prayerful Reflection
- Where am I more concerned with appearing impressive than loving like Jesus?
- Which person/people in my life do I struggle showing agapē love to?
- Bring to God a situation where you're having a hard time envisioning what love looks like and ask Him for wisdom and clarity.
- Ask God to help you act out of love even when you don't feel like it.
Practice
This week, pick one situation and use this framework to evaluate your actions/motives:
- Would I still be doing this if no one was looking or if nobody knew?
- Am I doing this to make my name great or make God's name great?
- What does agapē love look like in this situation?
