In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he explains just how
important love is in the life of a Christian.
“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not
have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 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 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” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).
Of all of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, love is the most
important. There were great prophets of old, such as Daniel and
Isaiah, who had the gift of prophecy. There are great preachers
today who possess the gifts of wisdom and knowledge for
preaching and teaching. There are those who have the gift of
healing or speaking in tongues. These gifts are all great, but we
are told that those who possess love are greater still. Mary of
Bethany was so full of love that she held a higher position than
any of these.
If we want to pray in power, and if we want the Holy
Spirit to come down in power, and if we indeed want God to
pour out His Spirit on us; then we must enter into a covenant with
God that we will love one another with a heavenly love.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not
boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not
self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of
wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always
perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies,
they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled;
where there is knowledge, it will pass away” (1 Corinthians
13:4-8).
In our daily lives, the fruit of the Spirit most displayed in
our lives should be love. From that comes all the graces and
virtues in which love is manifested; joy, peace, long-suffering,
gentleness, goodness, no unkindness or selfishness but
meekness before God and man. All of these are the gentler
virtues (Colossians 3:12).
Wouldn’t we prefer it to be strength, courage, zeal, and
diligence; but that is not the way it is with God. It is the gentler,
the most tender of virtues that are most connected with
dependence upon the Holy Spirit. These are heavenly graces,
that were never found in the heathen world and are valued very
little in the world today. But it is these that bring glory to God
and His blessings to us.
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But
the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).
The Bible tells us we should increasingly be more like
Jesus and be conformed to His image. As we grow in Christ,
we’re to grow more like Christ. We should develop His mindset
and reflect His values in our culture. We’re to love what He
loves and hate what He hates. His joy, peace, patience,
gentleness, wisdom, and servanthood should become ingrained
into our personalities. As we grow to be more like Christ, we
should react to situations and people as Christ did.
One of the greatest obstacles in the way of God’s work is
the lack of love among Christians. God would rather we do
small things with love than have great accomplishments without
love.
A cup of cold water given to a disciple in the spirit of
love is of far more value in God’s sight than the taking of a
kingdom done out of ambition and vain glory.
It is good to know that we are to love others and help
those in need. But unless we put it into everyday practice and
make it part of our everyday life, we will never have that
intimate walk with the Lord that results in such unexplainable
joy and peace. God does not give us the option of loving others
Taken from “Basic Christianity.” Basic Christianity is like 14 books in one, covering different subjects that are important to the Christian life. Check out this book and my other books at https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jerry-Blount/author/B06XK4GJT1
Books by Jerry, many of which you may read for free: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jerry-Blount/author/B06XK4GJT1
- Things You Probably Didn’t Learn in Chruch
- Basic Christianity: Living a Joy-Filled Life and Making a Difference
- The End Times: Signs and Prophecy
- Noah and the Great Flood: Proof and Effects
- Following Jesus and Fishing Along the Way: Stories of God’s Great Outdoors
- The Rapture: Coming Soon
Sharing Jesus 