June 10: Are you nothing?

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.   (1 Corinthians 13:1-7 — New American Standard)

Speaking in tongues, prophecy, knowledge, faith to move mountains, giving to the poor, and even martyrdom mean nothing unless we also have love. No matter how talented we are or what gifts God gives to us, loving God and others proves that we really do know Him. Just like God is love, we must also be love.

An interesting test you could make is to substitute your name for the word "love" (or "it") in the last part of this passage. For example: Joe is patient, Joe is kind and is not jealous. Joe does not brag… etc. Think about your life and how you measure up, and ask God to empower you to be all the things that this passage mentions. Unless we are prepared to live out the Word of God, it does us no good to read it. 

Religious busy-work is not love. Simple church-attendance, listening to praise and worship music, wearing Jesus t-shirts, giving offerings — these things are not enough. Real love for God involves obeying Him in the toughest of times when our flesh doesn’t want to; it involves hating the devil and demons and resisting them with every ounce of faith that we have, because no one can love God and not hate the devil; it involves sacrifice, Jesus’ ultimate proof of love; it involves overlooking the faults of others, and at other times rebuking them for their own good. Love is not some gushy, sentimental feeling that comes and goes. Having love means being tough. Real love is living every one of the fifteen things listed in the passage above. — This is the path to a fulfilling and blessed life.