Without love behind our actions we are just making noise!
1 Corinthians 13:1.2.3. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
Faith, hope and love….the greatest of these? LOVE. Carla
Paul uses an intentional exaggeration to illustrate the uselessness of each spiritual gift without love. The Corinthians would readily understand the images of sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. Many of them had used brass instruments and cymbals as standard elements of pagan worship in their lives before Christ. Bestow all my goods likely pertains to the spiritual gift of giving to others (Romans 12:8). The NKJV Study Bible
The reference to tongues “of angels” probably indicates the belief that one type of “gift of tongues” involved speaking in the language of angels. Paul points out that even the language of angels is meaningless without love. Alternatively, the phrase “tongues of angels” may be an expression meaning “heavenly language.” This language may refer to prayer, conversation with God, or a dialect that God sometimes uses to reveal information.
Love is a genuine and selfless concern for the well-being of others. Paul identifies it as the greatest of the three Christian virtues (verse 13). Paul chastised the wealthy believers because they did not demonstrate love to the less wealthy believers (11:17–21).
People used cymbals to worship Dionysus, the god of wine. Paul mentions the crashing cymbal to suggest that spiritual gifts without love make the Corinthians’ worship no different from the pagans’. Faithlife Study Bible
When Jesus reveals Himself to us—really inaugurates His reign in our lives—it may be terrifying, but we do not need to resort to our traditions to understand it. By going back to our old ways, we might lose sight of the point of God’s work altogether. Instead, we must be ready to accept what is new. We must realize that when God acts, the results will be unexpected and perhaps unexplainable. When God intercedes in our lives, when He lets us experience Him, our lives—our very view of the world—will change. Barry, J. D., & Kruyswijk, R. (2012).
This week we remember Howard Thurman’s reminder, “There must be always remaining in every life, some place for the singing of angels, some place for that which in itself is breathlessly beautiful.”
And no, it is not always easy to do.
Something about seeing only what we want to see. Or hearing only what we want to hear.
And for me, the paradigm shift is from scarcity to sufficiency. “We are healed of a suffering only by experiencing it to the full,” Marcel Proust wrote. So, we wake up to this life, fragile and exquisitely beautiful, embracing the sacrament of the present moment.
"When old patterns are broken, new worlds emerge." Tuli Kupferberg wrote. In other words, when I’m not preoccupied (held captive by angst), I notice, I pay attention, I see.
And in taking ownership of my life, this life, I am available. Not frightened by scarcity, I’m not enticed to ask, “what do I need today?”
Rather, I can ask, “what do others need today?” You see, I have both resources and assets to give…
Listening ear.
Empathy.
Non anxious presence -- calm demeanor.
“Sabbath Moments”
Ecclesiastes warned against a lifestyle defined by greed. Because no matter how hard we work or how much we earn, our riches will never satisfy our deepest longings: "He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income ..." (Ecclesiastes 5:10).
In Hebrew, the word for "loves" in this verse is ahab, which usually refers to personal affection for a friend or even a spouse, but here it implies a strong emotional attachment to wealth and possessions. This misplaced love is from the world, not God (1 John 2:16). In reality, there is no value in linking ourselves to meaningless materials, and greed will leave us restless as we become consumed with caring about our treasures more than people.
Striving endlessly for more wealth leaves us both spiritually and financially bankrupt.
To live a fulfilling life, on the other hand, Ecclesiastes 5:18 calls us to "eat and drink and find enjoyment" in God's provision. Today we know God's greatest gift to us is our relationship with Him through Christ, yet we also get to experience His perfect daily provision for our needs (Ephesians 2:8-9; Luke 12:22-34).
Not only is God the Giver of good gifts, but He gives us "power to enjoy them" and delight in all He graciously provides (Ecclesiastes 5:19).
As we receive God's provision, we become "occupied with joy" rather than discontented with what we don't have (Ecclesiastes 5:20).Then if we do have earthly riches, we count them all as loss because nothing compares to the gain of knowing God Himself (Philippians 3:8-9). And even if we don't have riches, whether we possess "little or much," we can rest in the love and care of our Father (Ecclesiastes 5:12). No matter what resources we have now, we can eagerly anticipate the treasures we are storing up in heaven as we lovingly obey the Lord (Matthew 6:19-21).
What a blessing to know that God provides for our needs on earth today and that our greatest wealth awaits us in eternity. First5
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