Worth Considering… A Thought for Today The Greatest Gift…Love “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.”-I Corinthians 13:1 (NKJV). A wonderful chapter in the Bible to memorize all 13 verses is I Corinthians 13. Like Psalm 23, it is one of those passages that delivers a punch with every single verse. And prelude to what our scripture arrangers divided into chapters and verses for our ease in accessing references, Paul wrote just prior to giving us the marvelous chapter, I Corinthians 13 in I Corinthians 12 a listing of spiritual gifts rendered by the regenerated “Body of Christ,” the Church asking “Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.” (I Corinthians 12:29-31, NKJV). And then he proceeds with the outstanding truths in I Corinthians 13 which can be entitled, “The Greatest Gift…Love.” The King James Version translates “love” in this verse as“charity.” Since that Greek word came to mean almsgiving to the poor or kindly judgment, “love” became the word to convey the greatest gift that can be exercised within the body of believers. Love gives without counting the cost to the giver. As Jesus taught in John 13:34-35, love is the highest and most distinguishing mark of a Christian, and without love any of the other spiritual gifts are of little significance, whether the gift of prophecy, of speaking in tongues (which can mean not just “spiritual utterances” but the ability with languages, as miraculously happened with the early apostles at Pentecost when they were able to convey the gospel in the language of the people), of teaching, of working miracles, of healing, of interpreting the scriptures. Without genuine love flowing from the one possessing spiritual gifts and administering them in service to those who are the recipients, the result is like “sounding brass or a clanging cymbal” (so much noise, show and “to do”). Listen to what Jesus said of genuine love: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this shall all people know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). Love must be the distinguishing mark of a believer. And as Jesus taught, love includes loving one’s enemy as well as his neighbor. Love, as Jesus taught its meaning and as Paul emphasized in I Corinthians 13 does not seek its own but others’ good. Love sacrifices for others. Eugene Peterson in THE MESSAGE gives I Corinthinas 13:1 thus: “If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t have love, I’m nothing but the clanging of a rusty gate.” I read this recently on a church bulletin board: “Love is a seed you can plant daily.” We should give close attention to the seeds of love we plant daily and how our spiritual garden grows. –Ethelene Dyer Jones 99.17.2013
Posted on: Tue, 17 Sep 2013 10:46:01 +0000