“That was such a waste!” - These are the last words anybody wants to hear spoken over something into which they have poured vast amounts of their energy, time, and resources. When someone has given all-out devotion to something, they typically do so with the expectation that there will be a return on their investment - a personal reward for all the blood, sweat, and tears they’ve given to the success of that thing.
But while this may seem to be reasonable in the world of business or in the context of financial investment portfolios, it is ruinous in the arena of Christianity. For a believer to give of their time, money, and service with the expectation of a personal return is antithetical to the selfless love that defines the Christian faith. Sadly, even though this type of mindset has no place in authentic Christianity, many Christians have given it place in their lives.
This was certainly the case among the Corinthian believers. The selfish spirit that had crept into their church had corrupted everything, including their giving. Love was no longer the driving force of their lives and ministries; it was lust, religious lust, spiritualized greed that had become the compulsion for every action. They were giving to receive; they were offering to obtain; they were sacrificing to secure a personal profit for themselves.
It must have rocked the Corinthian's world when Paul told them that all their loveless giving and selfish service would “profit nothing” - that the very thing they were chasing had eluded them. Using himself as a hypothetical example, Paul informed the Corinthians that even if they were to give away every single worldly possession they had to feed the poor, and even if they were to lay down their life in an ultimate act of martyrdom for the faith, it would gain them absolutely nothing with God! (1 Corinthians 13:3)
Now I know what some of you are going to say - “But Paul said it would profit nothing, if he didn’t have love”. You’re thinking that if love were the motivation for such sacrifices, then some measure of personal reward or profit would be guaranteed. But this is the wrong way to view Paul’s words. Paul was using his hypothetical example to demonstrate the uniqueness of true love.
You see, what makes love profitable is that love expects to receive no profit. If there is within my sacrifice any measure of thought for what I will be profited, then my thoughts prove that I am not truly being compelled by love. Love isn’t concerned with the reward it can receive for itself; it is concerned with the reward it can bestow on the object of its affections. The great return on love is that love is free from the need to get a return. Apart from this kind of love, our words are powerless, our gifts are useless, and even the most extreme measure of our sacrifices are meaningless!
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Friday, April 12, 2013
Gifted Nobodies
Everybody wants to be somebody! People want to feel significant, to believe that they matter, to be convinced that their life has real purpose and meaning. But the truth is that the pursuit of this kind of “significance” demands that one’s life be governed by self-interested attitudes and self-serving actions. In humanity’s fallen state, even involvement in philanthropy and investment in charity become skewed. In their religious form, these things are ultimately used to secure a good standing with God, and in their non-religious form, they are used to obtain a good feeling about one’s self. In other words, the journey to become “somebody” is selfish!
Nowhere is this pursuit more contemptible than in arena of Christianity. When the self-focused attitudes that are characteristic of the world system become characteristic of those bearing the name and testimony of Jesus Christ, we have become a walking contradiction. Jesus didn’t come to free us to live for ourselves; He came to free us from living for ourselves. (2 Cor. 5:14-15) So when we, as believers, start trying to use Christianity to find personal meaning - when we seek for significance in what we do for Jesus or in what we have received from Jesus, rather than in Jesus Himself, we are living contrary to the Gospel.
This is exactly what had happened in the church at Corinth. The people had become convinced that their identity and worth were found in having certain spiritual gifts. They began to test individual spirituality and personal significance on the basis of which particular spiritual gift or gifts each one had been given. This was causing division in the church body. Guilt was abounding in some who were saying “because I am not the hand, I am not of the body”. (1 Cor. 12:15) Arrogance was abounding in others, for the “eye” was looking down on the “hand” and saying, “I have no need of you”! (1 Cor. 12:21) They had become more focused on the “what” of spiritual gifts than the “why” of spiritual gifts.
The purpose of every spiritual gift is the building up of the church body. They were given for the common good, to be a blessing and benefit to those whom we serve with those gifts. To put it another way, God didn’t give us spiritual gifts so that we could have them, but so that we would use them. The Corinthians had lost sight of this fact, and sadly, so have we.
Love is the only cure for this ill. It is love that gives purpose to our gifts and abilities; it is love that makes them profitable, directing us to use them as a means of blessing others, rather than as a means of boasting in ourselves. Indeed, a believer may have the “best gifts”, including an ability to “understand all mysteries”, to have “all knowledge”, and to operate in “all faith”, but according to 1 Corinthians 13:2, if we do not have love, we are “nothing” - just a bunch of gifted nobodies!
Nowhere is this pursuit more contemptible than in arena of Christianity. When the self-focused attitudes that are characteristic of the world system become characteristic of those bearing the name and testimony of Jesus Christ, we have become a walking contradiction. Jesus didn’t come to free us to live for ourselves; He came to free us from living for ourselves. (2 Cor. 5:14-15) So when we, as believers, start trying to use Christianity to find personal meaning - when we seek for significance in what we do for Jesus or in what we have received from Jesus, rather than in Jesus Himself, we are living contrary to the Gospel.
This is exactly what had happened in the church at Corinth. The people had become convinced that their identity and worth were found in having certain spiritual gifts. They began to test individual spirituality and personal significance on the basis of which particular spiritual gift or gifts each one had been given. This was causing division in the church body. Guilt was abounding in some who were saying “because I am not the hand, I am not of the body”. (1 Cor. 12:15) Arrogance was abounding in others, for the “eye” was looking down on the “hand” and saying, “I have no need of you”! (1 Cor. 12:21) They had become more focused on the “what” of spiritual gifts than the “why” of spiritual gifts.
The purpose of every spiritual gift is the building up of the church body. They were given for the common good, to be a blessing and benefit to those whom we serve with those gifts. To put it another way, God didn’t give us spiritual gifts so that we could have them, but so that we would use them. The Corinthians had lost sight of this fact, and sadly, so have we.
Love is the only cure for this ill. It is love that gives purpose to our gifts and abilities; it is love that makes them profitable, directing us to use them as a means of blessing others, rather than as a means of boasting in ourselves. Indeed, a believer may have the “best gifts”, including an ability to “understand all mysteries”, to have “all knowledge”, and to operate in “all faith”, but according to 1 Corinthians 13:2, if we do not have love, we are “nothing” - just a bunch of gifted nobodies!
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
More Than Words
“Talk is cheap!” It’s an old cliché but a true one. Words without action are meaningless. When we say but never do or claim but never prove, we are showing how pathetically powerless our words can be. When our performance falls short of our profession to love, it is nothing more than the mouth writing a check that the life never cashes. Somebody said it like this - “Your walk talks, and your talk talks. But your walk talks louder than your talk talks.”
Now at this point, I am positive you are already shouting, “Amen!” Right now, some of you are thinking of that certain person that promised one thing and delivered another. You are probably saying to yourself, “What a liar they turned out to be”. But before you get yourself worked into a frenzy over how someone else has disappointed you, allow me to burst your bubble - The truth is that we have all been guilty of this inconsistency. And nowhere is that more evident than in the matter of love.
The words “I love you” have become a cheap commodity on the lips of humanity. It is a declaration that has lost its weightiness on the tongues of people who use it to gain selfish advantage over unsuspecting victims or to hide their personal failure to actually live out the very thing they are professing. And, the more the verbal declaration of love is removed from the visible demonstration of love, the more the words “I love you” will become increasingly impotent.
Nowhere is this fact more clearly affirmed than in 1 Corinthians 13:1, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.” With these words, Paul was assuring the Corinthians that love is more than words. He was asking them to suppose - What if a man had the ability to speak fluently, or even eloquently, in the languages of mankind? - And, what if he had the authority to speak as an angel sent directly from God? - And, what if he had that ability and authority to speak, but didn’t have love? - What then? - He would be nothing more than a hollow, empty noisemaker!
The truth is that love in shoes gives authenticity to love in speech. Love in action makes love in profession more palatable and more powerful. Why? - Because love in action doesn’t just say; it shows - It doesn’t just declare; it demonstrates - It doesn’t just profess; it proves! Only when “Love says” collides with “Love does” are the words “I love you” given maximum impact. Indeed, love is more than words.
So, the question we should ask ourselves is not, “Have I told somebody that I love them lately?” - The question we should be asking ourselves is this - “Have I shown somebody that I love them lately?” Today, let’s allow that true love that God has placed within us to put on its walking shoes and to lace up its working boots and to go out and truly love somebody!
Now at this point, I am positive you are already shouting, “Amen!” Right now, some of you are thinking of that certain person that promised one thing and delivered another. You are probably saying to yourself, “What a liar they turned out to be”. But before you get yourself worked into a frenzy over how someone else has disappointed you, allow me to burst your bubble - The truth is that we have all been guilty of this inconsistency. And nowhere is that more evident than in the matter of love.
The words “I love you” have become a cheap commodity on the lips of humanity. It is a declaration that has lost its weightiness on the tongues of people who use it to gain selfish advantage over unsuspecting victims or to hide their personal failure to actually live out the very thing they are professing. And, the more the verbal declaration of love is removed from the visible demonstration of love, the more the words “I love you” will become increasingly impotent.
Nowhere is this fact more clearly affirmed than in 1 Corinthians 13:1, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.” With these words, Paul was assuring the Corinthians that love is more than words. He was asking them to suppose - What if a man had the ability to speak fluently, or even eloquently, in the languages of mankind? - And, what if he had the authority to speak as an angel sent directly from God? - And, what if he had that ability and authority to speak, but didn’t have love? - What then? - He would be nothing more than a hollow, empty noisemaker!
The truth is that love in shoes gives authenticity to love in speech. Love in action makes love in profession more palatable and more powerful. Why? - Because love in action doesn’t just say; it shows - It doesn’t just declare; it demonstrates - It doesn’t just profess; it proves! Only when “Love says” collides with “Love does” are the words “I love you” given maximum impact. Indeed, love is more than words.
So, the question we should ask ourselves is not, “Have I told somebody that I love them lately?” - The question we should be asking ourselves is this - “Have I shown somebody that I love them lately?” Today, let’s allow that true love that God has placed within us to put on its walking shoes and to lace up its working boots and to go out and truly love somebody!
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Love In Shoes
The distinction of love, when compared to faith and hope, is not just seen in the fact that love is eternal; it is also seen in the fact that love is ultimately external! Faith and hope are internal qualities of the Christian life, but they are not really tangible or visible things. People may say, “I believe” or “I trust”, but what is the evidence of such a claim? How can you see someone’s faith, or the hope that is brought forth from that faith? The answer is love!
Of course, you might be saying to yourself - But what about James? Didn’t he say that our works will manifest our faith before others? Indeed, he did - He declared that “Faith without works is dead”. (James 2:20) Inevitably, when someone has genuine faith, it will be revealed through outward acts. In other words, what one believes will always affect how one behaves. However, love is still the key!
Love is the engine that drives our faith to work. Paul declared this fact to the Galatians when he wrote that “faith…works by love”. (Gal. 5:6) That word “works” is taken from the Greek word which transliterates (energeo), and from which we get the English words energy or energize. The word demonstrates that faith is energized and empowered by love! Love makes our faith both active and effective. To put it another way – Love puts shoes on our faith!
Think about it! - The scriptures declare that “God so loved the world that He gave” (John 3:16); that “Christ also loved the church and gave” (Eph. 5:25); that Jesus “loved me and gave” (Gal. 2:20). So then, true love is always characterized by the giving of self, by the laying down of one’s life for the blessing and benefit of the one being loved. And, when we “walk in love, as Christ also has loved us”, our love will be no different. Love is more than mere talk. To truly love is to love in shoes!
True love will always compel us to live out faith and hope in public ways, making them practical, visible, and tangible to others. True love will always mobilize the Christian life, enabling it to touch the lives of hurting people in the real world. True love will always lead us to serve others in sacrificial ways, causing all that Christ has done in us internally to be manifested through us externally. True love will always drive us out of our self-interested world and into the world around us that’s in need. And, because love always loves in shoes, and because love always puts shoes on faith and hope, love is truly “the greatest of these”!
Of course, you might be saying to yourself - But what about James? Didn’t he say that our works will manifest our faith before others? Indeed, he did - He declared that “Faith without works is dead”. (James 2:20) Inevitably, when someone has genuine faith, it will be revealed through outward acts. In other words, what one believes will always affect how one behaves. However, love is still the key!
Love is the engine that drives our faith to work. Paul declared this fact to the Galatians when he wrote that “faith…works by love”. (Gal. 5:6) That word “works” is taken from the Greek word which transliterates (energeo), and from which we get the English words energy or energize. The word demonstrates that faith is energized and empowered by love! Love makes our faith both active and effective. To put it another way – Love puts shoes on our faith!
Think about it! - The scriptures declare that “God so loved the world that He gave” (John 3:16); that “Christ also loved the church and gave” (Eph. 5:25); that Jesus “loved me and gave” (Gal. 2:20). So then, true love is always characterized by the giving of self, by the laying down of one’s life for the blessing and benefit of the one being loved. And, when we “walk in love, as Christ also has loved us”, our love will be no different. Love is more than mere talk. To truly love is to love in shoes!
True love will always compel us to live out faith and hope in public ways, making them practical, visible, and tangible to others. True love will always mobilize the Christian life, enabling it to touch the lives of hurting people in the real world. True love will always lead us to serve others in sacrificial ways, causing all that Christ has done in us internally to be manifested through us externally. True love will always drive us out of our self-interested world and into the world around us that’s in need. And, because love always loves in shoes, and because love always puts shoes on faith and hope, love is truly “the greatest of these”!
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Unfailing Love
“Charity never fails”! In this descriptive phrase, we learn something vital: true love is of enduring quality! Think about the vastness of that word. “Never”? - Really? - Love “never” fails? - What exactly does that mean? Essentially it describes love as an unwavering and unrelenting thing. It encapsulates the fact that true love isn’t based upon the actions of others, nor does it stop or start due to life’s ever changing seasons and circumstances. In every sense, Paul really means “NEVER” - Not at any time - Not for any reason!
And what is it that love never does? - It never “fails”. To put it simply, love doesn’t fall out of love. It will “never” fall away from its loving pursuits, nor will it ever fall down from its lofty position. Love will remain “the greatest of these” for time and for eternity. It not only abides now, but it will abide ever, and therein we find the key. When we say that love is enduring, what we really mean is that love is eternal. This is one thing that clearly sets love apart in contradistinction to both faith and hope.
While it is true that faith and hope are both vital qualities, they are also temporal qualities. If faith is “the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1), and if the life of faith is “not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7), then it stands to reason that when we see Christ face to face, we will no longer need faith. In other words, faith is going to come to an end someday. Furthermore, if hope is born out of that temporal faith, looking ahead to all the future promises procured for us in Christ, and confidently expecting them to be fulfilled someday, then we can be sure that hope will also come to an end when those future promises become present realities.
But such is not the case with love! Love is part of the Divine nature, emanating from the very being and character of God. This is why the Apostle John declared that “God IS love”. (1 John 4:8) We can only know love as we know God, and we can only express love as we are empowered by God to do so, and we are only empowered to do so through the indwelling presence of His Spirit. In other words, God is the very source of love, for John again declared, “Love is of God”. (1 John 4:7)
In this we see the unfailing quality of love! If love is part of the very character and nature of God, and if God is the source from which all true love must spring forth, then indeed, we can be absolutely sure that love will never “fail” or “cease” or “vanish away”, as other temporal things. And why is it so? - Because God will never “fail” or “cease” or “vanish away”. As long is God is, love will be! Love is ETERNAL!
And what is it that love never does? - It never “fails”. To put it simply, love doesn’t fall out of love. It will “never” fall away from its loving pursuits, nor will it ever fall down from its lofty position. Love will remain “the greatest of these” for time and for eternity. It not only abides now, but it will abide ever, and therein we find the key. When we say that love is enduring, what we really mean is that love is eternal. This is one thing that clearly sets love apart in contradistinction to both faith and hope.
While it is true that faith and hope are both vital qualities, they are also temporal qualities. If faith is “the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1), and if the life of faith is “not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7), then it stands to reason that when we see Christ face to face, we will no longer need faith. In other words, faith is going to come to an end someday. Furthermore, if hope is born out of that temporal faith, looking ahead to all the future promises procured for us in Christ, and confidently expecting them to be fulfilled someday, then we can be sure that hope will also come to an end when those future promises become present realities.
But such is not the case with love! Love is part of the Divine nature, emanating from the very being and character of God. This is why the Apostle John declared that “God IS love”. (1 John 4:8) We can only know love as we know God, and we can only express love as we are empowered by God to do so, and we are only empowered to do so through the indwelling presence of His Spirit. In other words, God is the very source of love, for John again declared, “Love is of God”. (1 John 4:7)
In this we see the unfailing quality of love! If love is part of the very character and nature of God, and if God is the source from which all true love must spring forth, then indeed, we can be absolutely sure that love will never “fail” or “cease” or “vanish away”, as other temporal things. And why is it so? - Because God will never “fail” or “cease” or “vanish away”. As long is God is, love will be! Love is ETERNAL!
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
The Greatest of These
Love is of surpassing importance! This is an unmistakable fact. And, there is perhaps no statement in all of Scripture that more clearly affirms it, than that statement given in 1 Corinthians 13:13 - “The greatest of these is charity”. It’s quite a recognizable phrase - one of the most famed in the entire Bible. People often have it on display somewhere in their house, whether stitched on a throw pillow or written in calligraphy, nicely framed, and hung on a wall in some conspicuous place. Whatever the case may be, these are not unfamiliar words to most people.
But even though the phrase itself is quite well known, the great magnitude of its meaning is seldom considered. Through these words, Paul, with the stroke of his pen, sought to capture the beauty of love in its exalted role. By them, our minds are drawn to deeper measures of meditation concerning the crucial nature and critical role of love in our lives as God’s children.
This, I believe, is the reason for the use of the superlative term given to distinguish love, for Paul identified love as “the greatest”. The Greek word which underlies “greatest” transliterates (megas). From it, we get the word mega. The use of this word assures us that love is something of mega proportions. Love is large in size and long in scope. It is found to be the weightiest quality when cast into God’s scale of measurement. In other words, love is first in importance when it is lined up with other Christian qualities. It outranks, outweighs, and outlasts other aspects of our Christian life and walk. It is truly “the greatest of these”!
In order to make the vast measure of love’s importance and influence known, Paul put it in a scale to be weighed against two of the most vital tenets of Christianity: namely, faith and hope. He unreservedly declared, “And now abides faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” (1 Cor. 13:13)
What a powerful thought! - Love? - Greater than faith and hope? Faith and hope are foundational components of the Christian life: they go to the very heart of practical Christianity. They give the child of God an inner equilibrium by which to walk and a spiritual synergy by which to live. And yet, in spite of all their evident significance, Paul unreservedly states that love is “the greatest of these”.
But why is it so? How is it so? How is it possible that love can be greater than faith and hope? The why and how of this proposition are understood by recognizing two dynamic distinctions that set love apart: 1.) Love is ETERNAL; 2.) Love is EXTERNAL. It is these two things that distinguish love from faith and hope, and which uniquely set it apart as “the greatest of these”!
But even though the phrase itself is quite well known, the great magnitude of its meaning is seldom considered. Through these words, Paul, with the stroke of his pen, sought to capture the beauty of love in its exalted role. By them, our minds are drawn to deeper measures of meditation concerning the crucial nature and critical role of love in our lives as God’s children.
This, I believe, is the reason for the use of the superlative term given to distinguish love, for Paul identified love as “the greatest”. The Greek word which underlies “greatest” transliterates (megas). From it, we get the word mega. The use of this word assures us that love is something of mega proportions. Love is large in size and long in scope. It is found to be the weightiest quality when cast into God’s scale of measurement. In other words, love is first in importance when it is lined up with other Christian qualities. It outranks, outweighs, and outlasts other aspects of our Christian life and walk. It is truly “the greatest of these”!
In order to make the vast measure of love’s importance and influence known, Paul put it in a scale to be weighed against two of the most vital tenets of Christianity: namely, faith and hope. He unreservedly declared, “And now abides faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” (1 Cor. 13:13)
What a powerful thought! - Love? - Greater than faith and hope? Faith and hope are foundational components of the Christian life: they go to the very heart of practical Christianity. They give the child of God an inner equilibrium by which to walk and a spiritual synergy by which to live. And yet, in spite of all their evident significance, Paul unreservedly states that love is “the greatest of these”.
But why is it so? How is it so? How is it possible that love can be greater than faith and hope? The why and how of this proposition are understood by recognizing two dynamic distinctions that set love apart: 1.) Love is ETERNAL; 2.) Love is EXTERNAL. It is these two things that distinguish love from faith and hope, and which uniquely set it apart as “the greatest of these”!
Monday, April 1, 2013
What's Love Got To Do With It?
I know what you’re thinking! You are waiting with eager anticipation to hear my culturally cogent analogy: you know - the one where tie the lyrics of Tina Turner’s 1984 chart topping hit to the theme and message of this article. Well I hate to be the bearer of bad news, and I certainly don’t want to disappoint you, but it’s not gonna happen, at least not in this article.
Honestly, you are giving me far too much credit. My reason for choosing this title of the opening article of this series of blog posts is far less astute than you might think. The truth is that I just couldn’t think of a better way to express my point. I couldn’t come up with a better question to point our hearts and minds to the importance of the message of love than this one - “What’s Love Got To Do With It?”
The question is pretty straightforward and the answer is quite simple. In a word, the answer is EVERYTHING! That’s right - love has everything to do with the Christian life. Biblical Christianity and love are inseparable realities; they are inextricably linked one another. You cannot talk about the Christian life without talking of Christian love. To borrow a line from another popular song, “You can’t have one without the other.”
Love is so much a part of the believer’s life that the book of 1 John declares love to be the clearest evidence of true Christian faith. As well, Galatians 5:22-23 declares that love is the natural fruit of the Holy Spirit. In other words, it is the singular evidence that He lives in us and that we are filled with Him. And, according to John 13:35, love is the distinguishing mark of a true disciple.
So then, love is absolutely essential to Christianity. It is assurance of genuine salvation for the believer, in the face of many who are counterfeits. And, it is evidence to the unbeliever that actual, vibrant relationship with the God who is love exists and can be had, even in a world that is filled with so many who are enslaved empty religious promises and dead religious pretense. In other words, love is the supreme authenticating proof of the true life and faith that believers have in Jesus Christ. It is, so to speak, our bona fides.
Honestly, you are giving me far too much credit. My reason for choosing this title of the opening article of this series of blog posts is far less astute than you might think. The truth is that I just couldn’t think of a better way to express my point. I couldn’t come up with a better question to point our hearts and minds to the importance of the message of love than this one - “What’s Love Got To Do With It?”
The question is pretty straightforward and the answer is quite simple. In a word, the answer is EVERYTHING! That’s right - love has everything to do with the Christian life. Biblical Christianity and love are inseparable realities; they are inextricably linked one another. You cannot talk about the Christian life without talking of Christian love. To borrow a line from another popular song, “You can’t have one without the other.”
Love is so much a part of the believer’s life that the book of 1 John declares love to be the clearest evidence of true Christian faith. As well, Galatians 5:22-23 declares that love is the natural fruit of the Holy Spirit. In other words, it is the singular evidence that He lives in us and that we are filled with Him. And, according to John 13:35, love is the distinguishing mark of a true disciple.
So then, love is absolutely essential to Christianity. It is assurance of genuine salvation for the believer, in the face of many who are counterfeits. And, it is evidence to the unbeliever that actual, vibrant relationship with the God who is love exists and can be had, even in a world that is filled with so many who are enslaved empty religious promises and dead religious pretense. In other words, love is the supreme authenticating proof of the true life and faith that believers have in Jesus Christ. It is, so to speak, our bona fides.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)