One of the great privileges that I’ve been given to watch as couples covenant with God and one another in marriage. It’s truly a joy to walk with couples and watch as God uses the giftings, love, and encourage one another as they walk the journey of following Him together. Often times as a part of the wedding, I’ll hear couples read Paul’s famous words from 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. It’s there that he gives one of the most practical definitions of love that is found in the whole of Scripture. He writes,
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
What a powerful description of love! What an incredible example to follow! While I think the principles in these verses can be applied to a marriage, Paul isn’t talking about marriage at all in 1 Corinthians 13! In fact, he’s speaking to an issue that far transcends the covenant of marriage. He’s striking at the heart of why we do what we do.
In many ways, 1 Corinthians 13 is right smack in the middle of a conversation that is prompted by growing issues in the Corinthian church. As men and women were surrendering their lives to Christ, they began to experience the grace of God expressed through Spiritual Gifitings. We learn in 12:21-26 that conflict was starting to grow as people saw their gifts as more or less important than those given to another person. Then Paul picks up in chapter 14 and looks particularly at some of the more demonstrative gifts. So how then does this love chapter fit in?
Paul is calling us to recognize that why we do something is just as important as doing it in the first place. God may give to someone the gift of teaching, but in the way we teach are we patient, loving, kind, etc? In other words, the purpose of this instruction on love is to call each of us to wrestle with the motive underneath our serving. Paul opens the chapter in 1 Corinthians 13 with an important warning,
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”
Nothing!! He’s saying that I can understand everything, have all wisdom in the world, even give all that I have and if its not coming from a place of love it has no value. Likely those in Corinth were priding themselves in the things that they were doing. They prided themselves on their accomplishments rather than recognizing that every gifting they are given is not for their own benefit but for building up the body of Christ. Love is to undergird all that we do and apart from that, Paul says all we do will come to nothing.
So what does that love look like? Over the next several months, I will be unpacking that in these newsletter articles. How practically can I serve in a way that demonstrates the selfless love of Jesus? Today, I think Paul’s words call us to wrestle with a couple of important questions.
- Am I serving? The fact that we are loving others in our serving presupposes that we are serving. I think one of the most humbling realities in life is that the God of the universe has given us resources and gifts to carryout His kingdom work. Paul reminds us that each of us have been given a role to play- are we. One of my deep passions for Grace is that every person would be a part of what God is doing in transforming lives both in our church family and beyond. I believe that no one is here accidentally and we all have a role to play. So are we? Currently, we are in particular need of people to serve in our Guest Services and Children’s ministry teams. These are great ways to impact lives for our community and are great ways to get started. If you’d like more information, call the church office and we’ll get you pointed in the right direction.
2. How am I serving? In the ways that we serve, are we seeking to embody the love and the grace of Christ in our lives? In our giving are we kind? In our teaching are we patient? One of the things that I find myself increasingly praying is that when I’ve interacted with others that other would have a greater picture and longing for Jesus. Far more than just accomplishing a task, are people left with a sense that we’ve really been with Jesus? What follows in 1 Corinthians 13 is a practical picture of how we do that.
So look out next month as we talk more about the “patient” love of kingdom!