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 13:3 (NIV)
Nothing Without Love
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and you know what that means — time for extremely revelatory love surveys in which all the mysteries of the heart are unlocked and presented on the page in cold, hard numbers. Thanks to the forthrightness and honesty of 1,091 randomly selected Canadians in a poll exclusively for the National Post back in 2011, it turns out nearly 30% of Canadians not only believe in love at first sight, but have experienced it themselves.
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It is possible for a person to look very generous while at the same time having a cold heart. Jesus spoke of those who love to parade their power and authority before others, publicly dropping their gifts into the donation box, but at the same time making life miserable for others. So, it shouldn’t surprise us that the apostle Paul writes this in 1 Corinthians 13:3: “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.” Paul warns us that while we can look good to others by our actions, God looks into the heart to see our motivation. If we are simply doing good in order to gain the respect and admiration of others, and not out of a heart of love, we are missing the mark of a follower of Jesus. All of us who have experienced the love of Jesus are called to love others with same passion that brought Him from Glory to the Cross. We need to regularly examine our hearts and ask the Lord to give us His agape love for others. Take time today to do so.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley