Daily Bread_October 24, 2013

Title: The Supremacy of Love

Text:

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (ESV)
¹ If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
² And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
³ If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Observation:

The church at Corinth had their priorities wrong; they were puffed up about their gifts. Paul writes to correct their error by showing them a more excellent way.

1 Corinthians 12:31 (ESV)
³¹ But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.

In our text Paul mentions several things that fall far short of the more excellent way; the way of love. Here he says what will be the result when you don't make love your highest priority.

1 Corinthians 13:8 (ESV)
⁸ Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.

Love is among three spiritual graces that will last forever; and love is the greatest of all. It has a sobering effect to think about how worthless the things we do are if the motivation is not love.

 1 Corinthians 13:13 (ESV)
¹³ So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Prayer:

Father God, my dear Father, I am so thankful that our lives can be pleasing to You, and helpful to others when our motivation for our actions is love. Father, I am so grateful that You have placed within Your people the gift of love. Father, my heart yearns to love You with my whole heart, and to love others with the love of the Lord. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Romans 5:5 (ESV)
⁵ and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

My soul sings:

 

O Love, that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in Thee;
I give Thee back the life I owe,
That in Thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

Source: http://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn.php/h/432#ixzz2idTmeCDt

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Proverbs 30:5 (ESV)
⁵ Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

Psalm 119:11 (ESV)
¹¹ I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily:

 http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/