Today's scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:31b-13:3
We’ve been talking a lot about spiritual giftedness over the last several days.
How we should use our gifts. How we’re all a part of the body of Christ’s. How
each of us should work together in order to serve God. How we are to reach
others with the gospel.
But our gifts aren’t worth anything if they’re not founded on love. God is
love, and everything He does is founded on His great love for us. We, in turn,
should use the gifts with which He’s blessed us to serve Him and others in
love.
The apostle John, the one whom Christ loved, writes, “My
dear friends, we must love each other. Love comes from God, and when we love
each other, it shows that we have been given new life. We are now God's
children, and we know him” (CEV, 1
John 4:7).
Serving God and using His gifts is a “more excellent way.” And it’s really a
matter of heart and motivation. We can preach with fervency, teach with great
knowledge, open our homes for fellowship, or offer mercy to the “least of
these.” However, if we don’t do these with love—genuine love—for God and
others, all we do “profits [us] nothing.”
In other words, it won’t bring kingdom-building results.
We must, as Jesus said, “… ‘LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND
WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’ The
second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other
commandment greater than these” (NASB,
Mark 12:30-31).
No comments:
Post a Comment