There’s Nothing Without Love

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling 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, and 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, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing. Love suffereth long , and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Love never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come , then that which is in part shall be done away” (I Cor. 13:1-10). There it is my friend. That is what we want to aspire to be, and indeed is what we should already be if we have had “the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost” (Rom. 5:5). So what do we do if this is NOT presently our report? That’s easy: Get rid of everything that is blocking God’s love out of our hearts. All it takes is an honest heart and some perseverance in prayer, and the power of God’s Spirit will put everything out of our hearts that doesn’t belong there. Proverbs 4:23,24 tells us very plainly, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.” The bottom line on the love of God is that it always seeks to edify someone else. As it is written, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Eph. 4:29). And again, “Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification” (Rom. 15:2). And once more for good measure: “Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another” (Rom. 14:19).

If we can’t edify someone with what we’re saying or doing, let’s just don’t say or do it. It’s that simple. That is why the scriptures are replete with the reality that someone with godly wisdom spares his words, and that a fool is known for his many words and his hasty spirit (Prov. 10:14;Prov. 29:11,20; Ecc. 5:2). James said it this way: “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (Jas. 1:19). He also said this about godly wisdom and its contrary part: “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy” (Jas. 3:17). I love the part of our text passage that tells us that love “does not behave itself unseemly.” Love doesn’t misbehave because it doesn’t do anyone else any good at all to behave unseemly. Undue behavior is unedifying, and therefore it is contrary to the love of God. After all, it was the love of God that sent Jesus to this world to get us out of a great deal of trouble that we weren’t going to get out of on our own (Lk. 19:10; Jn. 3:16). He didn’t come for himself, as he was in great shape already. If we are truly spiritually fit then we are going to seeking to edify someone else, even as our quoted scriptures declare. God isn’t impressed with what we know, or if we are operating in spiritual gifts, or have faith for great miracles. Those things will one day run their course and be gone, but the love of God will abide forevermore. I believe our text passage makes that very clear. If not, then maybe this will drive the point into our hearts a little further: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Mat. 7:21-23).

Jesus told us why people who had been born again would miss out on his kingdom to come: “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying , Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me” (Mat. 25:41-45). So then who WILL enter into the kingdom of heaven? “Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? … Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Mat. 25:37,39,40). The righteous are those who have a heart for the well being of others, and are mindful to edify others. The unrighteous are simply those who have not conditioned themselves to be that way. If we have been baptized with the holy Ghost into Christ, then we “have PUT ON Christ” (Gal. 3:27). Christ is certainly geared in the love of God, and so are we unless we allow other things to block his love from flowing freely through us. The scripture confirms this, saying, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philip. 2:13). The fact of the matter is that God IS “working in us to will and to do of his good pleasure” unless we are blocking him with our own thoughts, and dwelling in our old nature rather than in him. It brings to mind a good old song that I remember: “Just let your love flow like a mountain stream… And let your love show and you’ll know what I mean, it’s the season… Let your love fly like a bird on a wing. And let your love bind you to all livin’ things. And let your love shine and you’ll know what I mean. That’s the reason.” Let’s aspire to operating in that, and let’s seek to know how to do that. That is what will get us where we’re going. Amen.