Everything in Love

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

EVERYTHING IN LOVE

1 Cor 16:12-14

12 Now about our brother Apollos: I strongly urged him to go to you with the brothers. He was quite unwilling to go now, but he will go when he has the opportunity. 13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. 14 Do everything in love.

NIV

Not sure about this personal note about Apollos as we may  not know much about him at all, except he seems to be sort of an independent fella. We would think that a strong urging from such a person as Paul would carry a little weight, but this man Apollos seems to care not about how strongly he was urged to be a part of the brothers journey to those in Corinth. It may not be in our best interest to use this Apollos as a model for our behavior. We know so much about being a part of the Body of Christ as how we are all interdependent on each other in order for all of us to function how God desires us to. What good would a preacher be if there was no one to preach to? What good would a worship leader be if there was no one to lead? What good would a teacher be if there was no one to teach? What good would an encourager be if there was no one to encourage? What good would any of us be if there were no one else to fellowship with? Could we stand in the faith? Could we be on our guard? Could we be people of courage? Could we be strong and do everything in love if we were so independent that we did not concern ourselves with anyone else or what to be a part of the brothers? Yet Paul does not tear this Apollos down and still gives him an out, so to speak, and tells them he will when he has the opportunity. That is doing everything in love. We see here as being a part, as living life together we still need to be on guard against false teachers, we still need to stand firm in our faith, not be shaken, not be distracted by all the worldly ways and we need to have courage, to be bold in our faith, to stand up for what we believe in, not to shrink back away from people who refuse to accept the message and argue with what they this is intellectual superiority. We need to be strong facing all opposition with the truth of God, yet not in a bullying way, but in love. If we see the unsaved, the lost, the non-believer as God does and not as some opponent in a wrestling match of wits or brains, then we would love them so much we would find some way to express the love of God to them in order to melt their hard heart. But of course that is all in conjunction with the leading of the Spirit. We know the truth, we must stand for it, and love in it.