1 Corinthians 13:1-3

1 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. 2 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. 3 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.

If you have been to very many Christian weddings you are probably familiar with what follows the above passage of scripture. However, last week in my study these first three verses hit me like a ton of bricks while watching a sermon online. As the leader of One Need I work with people on a daily basis that are in need. I pray with them, I encourage them and I guide them the best I can. To be frank my work is pretty “action oriented”. So I think that is why these passages resonated with me so much. Paul says that if all this action is without love, then it is pointless…it does nothing, creates nothing, produces nothing.

In verse 1 he says if we speak beautifully in all the languages of men and even the language of angels, but lack love…we have done nothing. Verse 2 goes on to say that if we know everything and have all of the faith in the world but lack love…we are nothing. And finally in verse 3 he says that if we give away all of our stuff to help people and even offer ourselves up to be martyred, but lack love…we gain nothing.

The point is love. Without love we can’t do anything, we can’t be anything, and we can’t get anything.

So as we serve it is important that we inspect our hearts for the source of our actions. If the source is not love we must stop and connect with The Holy Spirit. We must ask for supernatural love to flow out of our lives into action.

In Christ,

Rodney McClure, Chief Deeder