“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-2
We’ve all been in a room where loud music was playing while we are trying to have a conversation. Try, as we might, not much useful communication will happen while the noise persists. The Bible says this is how our effectiveness for the kingdom works. All of our gifts, skill and charisma actually hurt our witness if an essential thing is not present: love. Jesus laid the foundation for Paul writing this to Corinthians when He said, “Love the Lordlove your neighbor (Mark 12:30-31).” If we’re not careful, our spiritual maturity and biblical knowledge will begin to take center stage as the “important things” in our relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ. May we love loudly so that our lives and our relationships don’t become that crowded room where not much useful communication can happen.
Do you love your brothers and sisters in Christ? Who can you text or call right now to encourage?
