Love

Daily Reading: 1 Corinthians 12-13

Scripture Focus: If I… have not love. (1 Corinthians 13.1)

Devotional Thought: What is the defining virtue, the highest value of your life?  The Apostle Paul insisted that it should be love.  Whatever other virtues we may possess, however good they may be, without love they are powerless in the Kingdom of Heaven. 

That is an amazing assertion from the pen of Paul.  Consider:

·       Paul was a preacher of the gospel.  At one point in this letter, Paul said he came only to preach.  It was his life-mission.  Yet, preaching in many languages to great crowds was to Paul just a lot of noise without love.

·       Paul was a deep thinker and philosopher.  As the premier theologian of the New Testament, he formulated the teachings of Christ in his letters to the churches.  Yet, to him that knowledge was nothing without love.

·       Paul, a man of great faith, preached uncompromisingly that salvation was by faith alone.  Yet, without love, Paul considered faith meaningless.

·       Paul had left everything to follow Jesus.  He forfeited safety and health, privilege and wealth.  He faced daily persecution for the cause of Christ and the salvation of souls.  Yet, none of those religious behaviors gained him anything without love.

Everything that was near and dear to him, Paul surrendered at the altar of love.  Love defined all that he sought, all that he preached, all that he believed.

Is love your defining virtue?  It is a costly one.  It will cost you pride, control, and comfort.  It will cost you your reputation and your convenience.  It will insist that your preferences are not the most important consideration in decision-making.  In the Kingdom of God, love is the defining virtue.

Prayer: Thank you, Father, that you are love and that your love is poured into my heart by the Holy Spirit.  Help me to be not just a recipient but also a conduit of that love.  I pray this in the strong name of Jesus.  Amen.

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 112.1-5

1 Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments!

2 His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.

3 Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.

4 Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.

5 It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice.