May 21, 2020 I AM NOTHING WITHOUT THIS
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophesy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not lave love, it profits me nothing.”
1 John 4:7-8 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
The word ‘love’ has many meanings. There are three basic types of love: eros, philia, and agape. Eros is a romantic love; philia refers to the love of family and friends; and agape love refers to the highest form of love that comes from God. 1 Corinthians 13 is known as the ‘love chapter’ and it is obviously referring to agape love; in this chapter, we get a view of genuine, pure love. When we read this chapter, we are forced to evaluate the love we have with the love that is portrayed in this chapter. The best of human love fails in comparison to agape love. We may think that we are living in and expressing agape love, but often certain test of our love comes and we realize that our love did not measure up to the 1 Corinthians 13 love. When I get offended, or get angry, or selfish-or whatever, I am not operating in agape love. This is not to condemn us; but because God does love us, He allows circumstances that reveal our hearts; God is always drawing us to His love. The good news is that God did not refurbish our hearts when we came to know Him as Savior, but gave us new hearts. It is possible for us to continue to live out of our old heart, but it is also possible for us to live out of our new heart. This new heart God has given us is a heart of agape love. Romans 5:5 tells us that the “love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” As often discussed in these blogs, it is critical that we discover our true identity as children of God if we are to live this life as God designed and as He desires. Discovering our identity certainly involves reading His word in order to discover who He says we are, but it requires more than reading His word; it also requires the Holy Spirit revealing to us the truth of His word. The verses above are sobering; we are told that if we do not love, we do not know God-because God IS love! Again, 1 Corinthians 13 was not given to us to condemn us, but to show us the love that God has poured into our hearts and to give us clear examples of what His love looks like in action. Eros love and philia love are common among man, but basically, these two types of live are self-centered. (We like the way others make us feel.) Agape love on the other hand is a giving love, not based on the actions of others; it is a compassionate love, concerned with the well-being of others. May God reveal to each of us the great love He has for us and let each of us be awakened to the fact that God has poured His love into our hearts.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a “Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails;”
Blessings,
Buddy
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