Loving Heavenly Father, I am in a rough spot right now. The Christmas season always weighs more heavily on me, with church responsibilities requiring more time and thought than throughout much of the rest of the year. There are other contributing factors, but as I sat here contemplating which direction to go, I think forward is best. Help me to see You above all else, for if I can accomplish that, I am certain that all else will fall into place. Amen.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (<<click here to read the passage)
Something I frequently hear on my elementary bus is students reciting the alphabet or counting from one to one hundred. It is more prominent in that the primary grades – K, 1, and 2 – sit closest to me. It’s fun that they often do it in unison – at least two and occasionally more.
Last year, I recall a few 3rd Graders standing up front waiting to get off for school, and they were asking each other math questions. One that got thrown into the mix quite a few times was, what is this number times zero? And, of course, the sum of the equation, no matter what the first number was, was zero.
As I read through the first few verses in this infamous 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians – known by many as the “love chapter” in the Bible – it dawned on me that anything minus love equals nothing.
The Apostle Paul quickly goes through the gifts of speaking in other languages, prophecy, faith, and giving to others, and in each, he exclaims that if love is not a part of the equation, he would be nothing or that he would have gained nothing. vs2,3 NLT
As a whole, I don’t know if the Church so much focuses on finding and using the vast array of gifts available through the Holy Spirit, but there are readily obvious ones, and they run with them. Some that might fit into that category are teaching or helping others or leadership (v28). We all know people who “do” those things, and unfortunately, if we don’t seem to have what it takes to do those, we tend to sit back and not really do anything at all.
It’s important that we diligently seek out the gift (or gifts) given to us by the Spirit, but of greatest importance is that every single one of them is seasoned with love. Hold on a second, that smacks too much of a pinch or a dash of love. It needs to be understood that each and every one of the Holy Spirit’s gifts that we express but literally immersed…saturated with love – not a dash but a dunking!
Far too often, believers tend to omit love. We charge ahead doing what we think God wants us to do, and love is left on the bench. We can often talk a good game, but when we hit the floor, the field, or wherever we may go, love has to go with us. It has to lead us. It has to fill us. And when we pass on, the scent of love should linger for years to come. O Lord, may this be our life!
Dec 12th, 2023, Mon, 6:25 pm
