Love has been on my mind a lot lately. People will do anything for love, sometimes crazy things for love. But if one does something to gain love but does not love in the process, one can get lost on the way to finding love. You see love can stand alone. You can do anything if you have love. But if you try to do anything without love, you won’t be successful. There is a beautiful chapter in the Bible about love and it breaks down this concept. 1 Corinthians chapter 13:1-3 tells us this: “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.” The word is telling us that we could have gifts such as speaking with other tongues or the gift of prophecy to speak into lives or having the faith to move mountains or the kindness to give away everything we have to the poor, but if we do any of these things without love in our hearts, they are meaningless. How would you feel if you did this amazing act of kindness, you went on a trip to Africa to help build homes for the homeless, but you did it only to have people say what a great person you were and to praise your name? You didn’t build homes for the homeless because you loved them and wanted with everything inside of you to help them live better lives, you built the homes out of pride of wanting everyone to know your name. There is no love in pride.
The chapter goes on to say this in verses 4-10 “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.” This is the true meaning of love. Love is not chasing after someone, going to fancy dinners, spending money you don’t have, buying beautiful gifts, going on expensive trips. Love is being there when times are hard, staying even when society thinks divorce is the answer, giving when you don’t have much to give, forgiving when it’s hard. The Bible goes on to tell us that in these verses that if we try to do use our gifts without love then God will take those gifts from us. God will not allow pride to be the center of attention.
We end this chapter with this verse: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Above anything else on this earth, above faith and above hope, love will always be the most important. If we have everything, all the worldly possessions but have no love, we have nothing.
There is a commentary in my Bible that says this “Love is the one eternal constant in the present finite world.” Love is the one thing that will last forever. There is nothing else we can receive or give that is more important or eternal as love. And what a beautiful gift to receive and/or give. Love always.
He gives us Roots and we can Fly. Roots and Wings.