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Love (1 Corinthians)

Scripture of the Day: 1 Corinthians 13:1-7 (New Living Translation)


13 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained 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.


Yesterday I attended my cousins wedding, where the above Scripture (although a different translation) was read. Those verses always get me thinking about love and this morning I was reading the New Living Translation (NLT) and got hit over the head with a brick! Most translations I have heard or read talk about how if you do not have love, you have nothing. When I think about not having love, I think about how people are loving ME. My head automatically then thinks about how if I had everything, or gave everything away, but didn't have anyone who loved me, then I would have nothing. The NLT throws an entirely new spin for me because the verses above do not talk about not having love...they instead state, "If I didn't love others..." WOAH! 

That mind shift helps take the focus off of how love affects me internally to how I outwardly demonstrate love to others. I could do all the good in the world, but if I did it out of obligation instead of love, God views it as if I didn't give anything at all. God knows our hearts. 

God is love. And out of this love He created us to love others. It is God who gave us our gifts (Spiritual and otherwise). If we have enough to give things away, that is a gift. If we have faith that can move mountains, that is a gift. But all those gifts are considered null and void if we don't take the time to love others as a result of them. And how do we love others? We follow Paul's instruction: we should strive to always be patient, kind and always truthful. We pray for contentment with what we have so we are not envious of others, and so we do not boast about what we have. Our goal should be to bury our pride so we focus more on what those around us need, rather than on ourselves. Anger should be far from our thoughts and hearts and old grudges should be forgotten and new ones never started. Because we love others, we should be protectors of those around us and of those who cannot protect themselves. Our job is to love without fear, trusting even if it has not first been earned. If we love without this fear, our love is always hopeful and will always persevere.


What a great world we would live in if everyone loved others this way...not focusing on what we can GET from love, but on what we can GIVE out of love!


Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for teaching us that the most important thing we can do is love others - always, and no matter what! Not only that, but thank you for giving us solid examples on how this love looks, thinks, and acts. Please help us love others the way you have intended we do all along.




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