Love Truly Matters
Love Truly Matters
“If I speak in the tonques of men and angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbals. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.”
I Corinthians 13:1-3
God insists that His people give love a priority. The Bible holds high priority for love. As it is written in John 13:34; “A new command I give you : love one another as I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.”
Love is the most distinguishing mark of true Christianity. We are judged by the world by the way we love one another, the way we love people outside our faith. Love is the greatest display of Christlikeness and the greatest virtue of Christianity. The ability to love is what makes the believers to shine in this dark world. We have a brilliant testimony to the world if we do excel in loving. JesusChrist is a person of love and we Christians should be people of love.
The Church of Ephesus was a hardworking and persevering church that cannot tolerate wickedness and erroneous doctrines yet they were rebuked sharply for their lack of love. God is not impressed if we speak in great tonques of men and angels, if we have great prophetic gifts that can comprehend all mysteries and knowledge, or even if we have great faith that can move mountains or even if we give everything we possess to the poor or surrender our body to flames, if we have no love in our hearts . Without love, all these forms of greatness will turn out to be in vain.
We can only be considered as true Christians or true disciples of Christ if we know how to love or if there is love in our hearts.
How we may start giving love the priority ?
First, we should count everything as nothing if it is without love. We should do everything out of love. As a worship leader, as an evangelist, as a teacher, as a preacher, we should fulfill the tasks of our ministry as a result of our love and devotion to Christ. If love is no longer the primary motivation of our ministry, I believe we should consider to quit. For without love, everything will be done in vain. Even in doing simple household chores we should be motivated by love.
Secondly, we may start giving love the priority by understanding and confessing our failure to love truly. We should be honest enough to admit that we have lacked in loving. Only then it will be resolved. If we never admit our failure in loving, it will never be resolved. We may be considered as “hypocrites.”
Thirdly, we may start giving love the priority by seriously learning to love by God’s grace. Love is not something you work up for yourself , love is God’s work in your life. Love is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. As you appropriate daily the infilling of the Holy Spirit, as you yield to the power and control of the Holy Spirit in your life, God imparts to you this fruit of love.
As Christians who experienced first the love of God , we have a great capability to love. If you are genuinely saved , you will realize the awesomeness of God’s love in your life and surely you can’t help but to share God’s love. A true Christian cannot live without loving for he/she experienced God’s love. We should always rekindle the fire of our first love. One may master great Bible doctrines, may have many ministries or even many followers yet if he has no love in his heart, all these things will turn out to be in vain. Love truly matters in Christianity.