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
Happy Sunday Steemit World! It's good to be back. I'd been so busy the past days due to work-related deadlines that had to be met. Dang, I missed so many things in Steemit! I also had an internet connection problem last month due to a stolen internet cable in our area. Thank God, it's already restored.
February has been recognized as the love month. It absolutely is, apparently, because of the Valentine's Day every 14th. Love, for sure, is the main topic during this month. Even the page (https://www.biblegateway.com) I set up as default startup page has a featured Verse of the Day all about love.
It was St Paul who addressed these words to the people of Corinth. For sure these words are also applicable to us too. And oh, he was not talking about a just romantic type of love. It was all about godly love appropriate to everyone.
What Paul was trying to mean when he said those words?
1. It's just an embarrassing noise when we speak anything without any love.
Our talks must be filled with love. Yes! It always feels good to hear people who talk things out of their hearts. It doesn't sound irritating or annoying if everything we speak shows compassion, love, and attention to other people. If we speak great things that might make people be amazed but are filled with conceitedness and arrogance, for sure, they would not be lovely to hear. We are like a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. They sound so irritating, don't they?
So speak love! Speak life! I've posted it in my last blog about Toby Mac's song.
"Look into the eyes of the broken-hearted;
Watch them come alive as soon as you speak hope,
You speak love, you speak"
2. No matter how deep our faith is, but don't love, we are nothing
What's the use of having great faith but doesn't have love to our fellows? Would God be glorified with it? For sure He would not. We know God is a loving God. He even showed it by sending His beloved Son to die for our sins said in John 3:16.
source
A true faith must show an evidence of love to God and to his people because if it does not, then that faith is not from God. Whoever does not love does not know God because God is love. (1 John 4:8).
3. If we give all we have but not out of the love from our hearts, it's nothing.
There are people who give generously but there are also many who announce that they did. Bad! Don't you know what the Lord said in Matthew 6:3? It is:
"When you give to the poor, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. "
What's the point of announcing or sharing that you've helped? Wanted to be glorified? Is it because you wanted to be known and gain more popularity content? It does not glorify God. He does not share His glory or praise to any other.
If we give to the needy with full of love, then we would not bother not to be acknowledged anymore. Because we believe that even people don't see us do these, we know He sees us and acknowledges us. Being known by God but not by men is absolutely astounding than being known by men but not by the Creator of all things.
So we must always be filled with love every time we speak, every time we do ministries for God and every time we give. Oh, everything we do must always be from the hearts that beat for the Lord, the ultimate lover of our souls.
Let all that you do be done with love. -1 Corinthians 16:14
