2 minute read.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

 1 Corinthians 13:1 ESV

Universal language.

Love, the universal language that connects hearts around the world.  An action that also requires doing.  We show love towards others because of God, the foundation of love.  Christ showed us love when He came to Earth, dying on the cross and rising again.  God created us to receive love and share it.  Transformation begins when we realize we can do nothing to earn God’s love but, by faith, receive it through Jesus.

Paul’s letter to the Corinthians details the specifics of love, a new way to live thanks to Jesus.  In heaven, we will no longer need faith or hope; only love remains, a way of life for those in Christ.  As followers of Jesus, filled with His Spirit, we should live a life of love now, using it as a lens to view the world.

“If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.” 1 Cor. 13:1 MSG

The Message version of the Bible, known as a reading Bible, helps us gain a deeper understanding of today’s verse.  Living in a world of “self”-self-awareness, self-esteem, self-acceptance, self-image, and self-realization- putting God and others first before oneself goes against cultural norms.  Just like the envious, prideful, self-centered Corinthians during Paul’s time on Earth.

To love, we must do what Christ did.  Paul explains to the Corinthians nothing matters more than love.  Comparing actions done without love to a rusty gate, Paul spends the next several verses describing what Agape love looks like when lived out in our lives.  Over the next thirteen days, we’ll explore the aspects of love Christ showed us when He lived on Earth.

In Matthew, Jesus taught us to pray, “On Earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).  We do that when we live a life of love, imitating Christ.  Practicing what Jesus taught us will help us live the “more excellent way” (1 Cor. 12:31b). 

The way of love becomes a way of life when we follow Jesus daily, imitating Him.  Love in action happens when we live for the Lord and obey Him.  Love God and others, the Lord’s greatest commandment that will lead us to a lifestyle of love.

Love Challenge:

Go out of your way to show love to someone today.  Open the door for a stranger, do a chore for a family member, send a note to someone, or pay for the person’s order behind you at the drive-thru.  Find a way to share the love Christ gave you actively.