“He is truly great that is great in charity.” Thomas a Kempis
“If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
Paul (I Corinthians 13:1-3)
For what do I strive? Do I strive to do what is right, to do what is just? Do I strive to be “spiritual” – to be in a place of divine understanding? Do I strive to become a faithful communicator of the Word of God? Do I want others to be able to understand Spiritual things through the words I speak? Do I want to use the gifts God has given me effectively that the body of Christ may be encouraged and that others may hear and understand?
All of these things are good things. All of these things are worth seeking.
But none of these things has any value if I do not love.
In fact, my work in these areas is less than without value – my work becomes detrimental – when I am motivated by anything other than love.
John reminds us that “God is love” (I John 4:8), and that our “knowing” God is directly related to our love for others. Without love I am without God. Without God, all the good things I do FOR God are worth nothing.
Yet a great truth can be found when I examine this from another side. With love, even my less than stellar talents have great value. I may not have the gifts and graces of my sister next door, but I can love, and she can love, and together as we love each other and love God, that love flows to a hurting world that needs love and is hard pressed to find it. (Do you notice that love removes the competition and allows us to work together in collaboration?)
The world has many talented and gifted beings. Many intelligent men and women have taken advantage of others and called it “business.” “Great” ventures have brought great wealth to a few and immense poverty to many.
But when we stand before our God of love, we find that He doesn’t see greatness in any of this. God is love and He desires above all that we love: love Him first, love our neighbor as we love ourselves.
Lord, too often I am tempted to focus on what needs to be done rather than asking “What would love do? What does love look like in this situation? Thank you for the reminder that You are love, that what You do, You do because of love. May I live my life following Your example. Fill me with Your love that I may truly love You with all that I am, and truly love my neighbor as I love myself.