Read 1 Corinthians 13
If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the
flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:3
It was Jonathan Swift, the satirical author of Gulliver’s Travels, who
said, “We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough
to make us love one another.” Spiritual gifts, no matter how exciting and wonderful, are useless and even destructive if they are not
ministered in love. In all three of the “body” passages in Paul’s letters,
there is an emphasis on love. It has well been said that love is the
“circulatory system” of the body of Christ.
Few chapters in the Bible have suffered more misinterpretation
and misapplication than 1 Corinthians 13. Divorced from its context,
it becomes “a hymn to love” or a sentimental sermon on Christian
brotherhood. Many people fail to see that Paul was still dealing with
the Corinthians’ problems when he wrote these words: the abuse
of the gift of tongues, division in the church, envy of others’ gifts,
selfishness (remember the lawsuits?), impatience with one another in
the public meetings, and behavior that was disgracing the Lord. The
only way spiritual gifts can be used creatively is when Christians are
motivated by love.
Something to Ponder
Of all of your current relationships and situations, where would you
say love is most needed?