Wednesday October 07th, 2020
Memorize: 1 John 3:14 International Standard Version (ISV)
« We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love one another. The person who does not love remains spiritually dead. »
Read: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 New Living Translation (NLT)
1 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.
3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud
5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.
7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!
9 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture!
10 But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless.
11 When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.
12 Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.
Message:
The Bible describes love as the sum of all the commandments of God.
1 Corinthians 13:1-2 GNT says:
« I may be able to speak the languages of human beings and even of angels, but if I have no love, my speech is no more than a noisy gong or a clanging bell.2 I may have the gift of inspired preaching; I may have all knowledge and understand all secrets; I may have all the faith needed to move mountains—but if I have no love, I am nothing. »
The Bible clearly presents the importance of love and how children of God should rate it as a virtue.
God compared some rare spiritual gifts to love and made it obvious that without it (love), the other gifts are inconsequential.
This simply means that love is the golden scale by which whatever gifts we exhibit and whatever services we offer to God are weighed.
The big question is: in what sense does love fulfil the totality of the law? The answer is embedded in Romans 13:10 NLT which says:
«Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.»
Therefore, if the love of God is in your heart, you will fulfil the law without grumbling but rather with joy.
That is why Paul reduced the commandments to only one. “Love is the fulfilling of the law.”
As I have often counselled my children, love can insulate you against pains, discouragement, and difficulties associated with any given task.
Jacob served a total of fourteen years for Rachel and they seemed unto him but a few days, because of the love he had for her (Genesis 29:20).
Furthermore, obedience is a natural fruit of love.
You will never want to disobey or rebel against the authority of someone you truly love.
Love makes obedience to God very easy.
Prayer point: Father, help me to love You with all my heart, soul and spirit, in the Mighty Name of Jesus.
Author: Pst E. A. Adeboye.
Text edited by Naomie
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