1 Corinthians chapter 13 verses 1-3 (NIV)
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
In these verses we read of what can be accomplished by the exercising of some of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. All good things. But Paul reminds the Corinthians that even more important than the exercising of the gift is the attitude of our hearts as we do so.
We may well have all the trappings of someone who claims to follow God, but without a heart that fully loves Him, and seeks to love others as Jesus loves us, then the exercising of these gifts is really meaningless.
Although we should never treat lightly being used in any gift, we should always seek to emulate the love of Jesus, and how He treated people. As we read yesterday, His banner over us is love. We need to show that love to others first and foremost.
Dear Lord,
Sometimes I think we (I) don’t fully grasp the importance of showing Your love to all those we come across. I also need to remember that as well as the list of the characteristics of love listed in this chapter, Your love is never selective so neither should mine be. Help me, LORD when I find that hard. I ask in Jesus Name. Amen.