1 Cor 13:13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Be honest, you thought I got the sequence wrong, right!?! Now that you landed here anyway, read on and you'll know why...
1 Cor 13 is fondly referred as the ‘Love Chapter'. Even non-Christians are familiar with several verses from this chapter and quote them. Seldom people understand and ready for the kind of love portrayed here. To an extent, they even say that its too much of demand that it is not practical. Yet, fondly use bits and pieces of this chapter as a cliché.
Faith, Hope, Love…it is not a random order that Holy Spirit laid these out.
All of humanity has faith in something or other, even an atheist believes in ‘nothingness’ or a ‘void’ from which all things came and returns. All of humanity has hope for the better and say, when hope is lost, all is lost. All of humanity talks of Love, the most misused and abused word in the world today. Everything spiritual, material, fleshy, passionate, lust etc. all labelled as love. Love has become the greatest merchandize all over the world today. Media has sold it so powerfully that 'Love' has almost become its own religion per se.
But, does this verse really mean any of the above? Paul wrote some of the harshest criticisms and corrections in all of New Testament to the Corinthian Church. Rebuked their doctrinal position, twisted application in real life, backsliding, backbiting all of it, unfiltered Paul gave it to them on their face. In the midst of it all, Paul pens a chapter exclusively on Love, the right kind of Love.
In 1 Corinthians, Chapter 12 Paul starts teaching on Spiritual gifts and concludes it in Chapter 14 advising them on using those gifts for the larger, greater good. In-between, he pens emphatically of a kind of love without which both the gifts and its profound application become meaningless. Simply put, compassionate, sacrificial, Christlike Love.
World wants you to try this in reverse.
Could there be Love without Hope? That’s mirage, deception.
Could there be Hope without Faith? That’s wishful thinking.
That's the mirage, deception and wishful thinking that the world is chasing after. A never ending race, never quenched thirst and futile journey that only adds burden to life as you progress! There is a point when the burden is so heavy that you can run no more. Then the days of running away from Gospel, the days when Gospel sounded foolish, flash up on your mind, now that you've tried it all on the other side of it.
The Father is still waiting in spite of all the ridicule you made of Him!
Jesus is still knocking at the door in spite of how long you've refused to answer!
God is still in the business of seeking and saving the lost at the price of HIS blood!
When we put FAITH in the person of Jesus Christ, He brings the HOPE in this world and of eternity that was made possible one and only by Jesus's sacrificial LOVE portrayed on the Cross. That’s the message Paul conveyed to the Corinthian Church and to all of humanity today. If we were to measure the “Love’ as we know in this world, as portrayed in media, as expressed in real life action, even in our own life - would it hold?
Leave the world, how is it with you personally?
Is the foundation of your FAITH firmly rooted in the person of Jesus Christ?
Is that FAITH alive & thriving in you giving you HOPE in this world and for eternity?
Does the above two lead you to be the kind of person with Christlike LOVE?
Not the rosy, self-centered, material love out of dependency; But When was the last time it costed you something to Love someone? It costed your pride, personality, money or whatever. In spite of it all, you loved that person and showed your love in action? A price that changed you r life to be little more like Christ?
Is there any wonder why such love missing in the world as we see it missing in the Church itself in the first place? Could all of us use a little more light of Christ to look lively?
John 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men
Would you start trying today? When circumstances push you to give a piece of your mind to someone, would you pause and say to yourself, 'nah, that's not Christlike'. Don't worry, you won't be exploited. Meekness and not weakness and Holy Spirit will guide you to not sin, even when you are angry (Eph 4:26).
May your love be so evident and sacrificial that Christ is not only honored but seen in and through you!
Blessings for the day and week ahead!
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