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. 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.
This is a humbling and sobering verse. It basically states that we can do all kinds of incredible things in this world, but if we lack love for one another…genuine, real love…then our ways are empty. It’s easy, or easier to love those that we get along with…those like ourselves…those that have similar interests and beliefs as us. But what about those that are different than us? What about those that have beliefs and practices that directly contradict our own? When Christ came to earth, he did not come to love only those that were similar to him. He came to love EVERYONE…especially the lost. He sought out those wrapped in sin…those blinded, consumed, and engulfed with sin…those living in deliberate opposition to the will of his Father. He shared meals with them, he embraced them, and he healed them. Imagine if Christ had come to this earth and didn’t display love…if he didn’t have compassion for the woman at the well…if he didn’t touch those festering with illness and demon possession…if he didn’t gravitate to thieves, liars, hypocrites, and murderers? We would ALL be out of luck…every last one of us. And if we get right down to the foundation of it all…LOVE is what sent Christ to this world. LOVE is what kept him in a humble state while living as man…LOVE is what kept him standing while they beat him…LOVE is what put one foot in front of another as he carried that cross to the top of the hill…LOVE is what kept his hands on that cross while men drove nails into them…and LOVE is what made him die on that cross. Christ IS LOVE…and he displayed this perfect love while maintaining perfect in himself, not once dipping into sin…not once assuming the practices, beliefs, and lifestyles of those who sought to heal…but simply loving them, and leading them to change their lives through faith in Him. As Christians, we are called to mirror that same behavior…we can’t be perfect like Christ, but we can certainly work like crazy to display the love Christ has shown us. So that when we show love to some unsuspecting person and they look at us confused, puzzled, and amazed, we can point to Christ. We can give Christ the credit…and we can lead another to the rescue, relief, and salvation that we have found through faith in Him! To God be the glory!
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