Chronicles of Love, Part I
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="333" caption="The "Nothing""]
[/caption]I've had an epiphany about first Corinthians 13, regarding the definition and application of what "love" is. Well, that's a very polite way to put it. Actually, God rocked my world last week with the truth of Paul's words about love. For the next few weeks, I'm going to attempt to convey what I believe God is showing me:
THE PASSAGE WE "LOVE TO LOVE"
I Corinthians 13 - I doubt any of you reading this have EVER TRULY put these words into practice. There, I said it; and at the risk of making someone angry, I'll stand by it. We've all read (and many of us memorized) the 13th chapter of I Corinthians several times in our lives, but today I saw it differently, and now I seriously doubt that my practical application of that passage has ever occurred to the fullest extent possible. I am going to pose a few hypotheses in the coming weeks regarding this passage. Each hypothesis will challenge you in your relationships and cause you to question how you apply this chapter we all "LOVE to LOVE" from Paul's letter to the church in Corinth.
For this week, though, I am going to begin the challenge with a pre-cursor: Verses 1 through 3 are the crux of the chapter. Their message is simple; 'love or die.' Sounds like a "Bond" flick, yeah? It's one of those apocalyptic statements ("...I am nothing.") that demands compliance or imposes failure and reminds me of the 1984 flick, The Neverending Story. But Paul tells the church it doesn't matter how great your accomplishments for the kingdom, if you don't TRULY love, you're wasting your time. Ouch. What does he mean "truly" love? Is he implying that our hours of service to the kingdom aren't a means of showing love? After all, that's what my Sunday School teachers told me all through my childhood!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VXo9PBLB4k&feature=player_embedded
The question now is, "how many of us work our fingers to the bone and tirelessly give our all for the kingdom, but are withholding the love Paul is compelling us to show?" Do you think you've got it all under control? Think you have the true "love" that Paul is talking about and that God is calling out for you to demonstrate? Well, hold that thought...my next blog is forthcoming...
I would agree that I Corinthians 13 contains a lot more depth and truths than I have been able to put into practice in my life. Paul is pretty blunt in the first three versus to state that it really does not matter what 'good' I do if I do not have love it means nothing. So the question is......’What is the essence of the love that Paul is describing?’..... How do I capture it and actually make it part of who I am? Who or What do people see when they look at me…….? Better yet……..’Who or What do I see when I honestly take a look in the mirror………?’ I look forward to following you and growing with you on the journey over the next few weeks!!
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