Love Gains Everything

 

DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

LOVE GAINS EVERYTHING

1 Cor 13:1-3

13:1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 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 have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

NIV

Now we are going to get to the most excellent way, which is love. As we have been seeing the gifts of the Spirit are for the common good and all are to be done from the motivation of love. This means nothing can be done for the edification of self for that would not be love, for we can only love someone else. Of course, there is self-love. We are told to love our neighbor as ourselves. Who hates his own self? We will get into all those definitions of what love is and what it isn’t that is usually read at many weddings, which in all reality have little to do with spousal love. Although, we would have to say it would be right to apply all those principles of love not just to everyone, but also to our spouse. In fact, this may be why we have to yield more to the influence of the Spirit because we may tend to somewhat let our guard down when we are alone with our spouse. This is where we might forget all those do’s and don’ts of love. However, first, we should note that Paul is making it clear that it does not matter how much we do, what kind of gifts we are being manifested in us, or how many good deeds we do, or holy and righteous we may be, even suffering for the sake of others, if whatever we do in the body of Christ is not motivated by our love for others, then it is meaningless, we gain nothing, it holds no reward. There is no reward without love. Would that mean the reward of salvation needs to be based on love? How could we say that we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior if we did not love him? That would be ludicrous! That comes first, before loving our neighbor as ourselves. We have to love God with all our being, our heart, mind, soul, and strength, then our neighbor. So then although we apply all these next attributes of love to each other, we ought to also think of them in terms of love toward God, as well as how God loves us. In essence, we could say that love gains everything.