Sunday, March 2, 2014

Love: The Greatest Priority




Day 1

Love: The Greatest Priority

Higher Love is our theme for this series, and we find the most concise and powerful presentation of such a higher love in 1 Corinthians 13, often called the “Love Chapter.”  Here we find that love is…

The Greatest Priority (12:31-3:3, 13)

It is hard to adequately communicate how radical this teaching is.  Familiarity with this passage has caused many of us to lose the wonder, to stop experiencing jaw-dropping shock when we read these words.  Perhaps it will  help us to see this pictured as our thoughts regarding “godliness,” our understanding of what a fully devoted follower of Jesus should be like.  This first list  is full of thoughts that are “wrong” according to 1 Corinthians 13:1-3: 

 I will know I’m godly if I…                                            
                               
 Speak well about my faith
Know More about the Bible
Have supernatural experiences
Give more sacrificially
Live with absolute conviction

If we gave a quiz in churches throughout our land, and even around the world, it is likely that what is listed above would be applauded as an exemplary Christian.  When we look at what 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 actually says, it is quite shocking.

                If I speak with the tongues of men
            or of angels, but do not have love, I
            an only a resounding gong or a clanging
            symbol.  If I have the gift of prophecy and
            can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge,
            and if I have a faith that can move mountains,
            but I do not have love, I am nothing.  If I
            give all I possess to the poor and give over my
            body to hardship that I may boast, but do not
            have love, I gain nothing,


These words are spoken in the middle of an extended teaching on spiritual gifts to a Corinthian church that was very active and “proud” of their gifts.  They even experienced remarkable manifestations of clearly supernatural power!  Paul brings their gifts into perspective in chapter 13, where he describes God’s highest vision for their lives, lives of love.  This love is the absolute, best way (12:31), is superior to all other manifestations and ministries (13:1-3), is character that is demonstrated in how we relate to one another (13:4-7), and is the greatest of Christian virtues (13:13).   No matter how great our gifts and even our sacrifices, Paul says, the failure to make love the top priority renders all else we do as empty. 

This is our challenge during Upward Training 2.  Our minds need to think more like the second list throughout the course of this series, embracing and living out God’s truth, that love is the super-abundant most superior excellent way (1 Corinthians 12:31). 

How does your thinking about godliness line up with what is taught in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 In what ways has your thinking about love been stretched so far?   _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Prayer: Reflecting specifically on this devotional, write out a prayer to God. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________






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