1 Corinthians 13:1-3 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. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Human nature inclines the heart toward love when a child is born into a family. Except for pretensions such as the fear a baby will interfere with our self-centered world, love for the helpless infant represents a compelling urge in the parents' hearts. A parent will love and protect this precious little one, a life conceived and developed within the mother's womb. Without such love, parents are outside of the normal reaction of humans to a baby that possesses their genes and depends totally upon their care. In 1 Corinthians 12:31 Paul writes, And now I will show you the most excellent way. A better way than what? A better way of organizing the body of Christ other than through special giftings, responsibilities, and positions. Yes, the body can and is organized in this way, but a more cohesive and more sure bonding of the body comes not through the definite roles, but through the activities and unctions of the unconditional and abiding love of God at work in his children. The work of individuals in the body will fail us at times as we unite and serve the Lord, but as we will read in our continuing study: Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:8) Jesus' perspective on love even includes loving our enemies. But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:44-45) With that kind of bonding, how can we fall apart into factions and divisions? No, with love we would consider each other above ourselves, meeting the needs of others before we meet our own. Our needs and our perspectives would take second place to the functioning of love for others. If anyone should sustain a rebuke or pain in our relationships with others, we will take the difficult position; we will bear the affront to our self-image and perspectives. In today's focus, Paul says you might be the most talented, knowledgeable, or reasonable person in your community of believers; but if you are not practicing God's love, you will gain nothing with God. Your talents and special knowledge are inconsequential if you do not love others. As we have said often in our breakfasts, Jesus said people would know we are his followers, if you love one another. (John 13:35) Are we known by our love or are we known by our critical attitudes and divisions. Sadly, in the church of God, we have divided many times. Often those divisions leave a residue of emotional and spiritual pain that passes from one generation to the next. The bitterness of separation and division can devastate a community of believers.
Often, we hear the message of love preached in church. We have heard wonderfully gifted pastors promote love in their teaching and their books. They back up everything they say with scriptures, yet some of their parishioners seem not to hear their message of love, for they are bickering and disputing within the body. They are holding grudges against each other. They will not communicate with those who hold a different view. They do not see the need to defer to others. They want their ideas and expertise to champion over the thoughts and skills of others. They want the church to function according to their vision. Rather than loving others, they hold great bitterness and at times even hatred in their hearts towards others. One wonders how they can sit in church Sunday after Sunday, hearing the message of Christ's love for them and how they should love others while holding such angry feelings in their hearts. What has happened to their spiritual ears? When Jesus was upset with his disciples for not hearing him, He warned them about the leaven of the Pharisees, and He said, Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? (Mark 8:18) When people's lives run counter to the scriptures, they lose their ability to hear the voice of God. When our spiritual senses become dull, self-will overwhelms the spiritual person within us. The flesh does not want to be hurt, does not want to take second place. In fact, the flesh wants to be preeminent, at the front of the line. To take the back seat, not to be in the driver's seat, seems difficult or impossible for some people. They want to say, "Here am I. I am important too! I have good ideas. Listen to ME." Yes, in a sense those things are true. You are a unique and an important person with good ideas, and yes, you are significant. But everything you do should be done within the context of yielding your life to God and loving others as yourself. John said this clearly: This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. (1 John 3:16) When we truly begin to love, our old fleshly person will not like it, and we may argue: "I have rights too. Why do I have to be second fiddle? Why do I have to defer to them?" Most of us do not want to step aside or to feel pain as we operate in our own plans. But as we see Jesus, we learn what it means to love and to surrender to mercy and grace. Jesus felt sorrow and pain, but He went to the cross for the joy that was in front of him. We can experience that same inexpressible joy in him as our lives are hidden with Christ in God.
In our disobedience, we are no more than a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. We are heard, but we say nothing worth listening to, for our message is not one of love. We can talk about love, but our lives must reflect God's love to have an impact upon others. If we love truly, we give life to the world just as Jesus showed his love by giving his life for us. If we allow our flesh to be in the forefront of our words and actions, we are just repeating what the world thinks. The flesh wants to be god of our lives, in control. “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1) The devil told Eve that she could make as sound of a decision for herself as God. She really did not have to follow God's directions, for she had her own capabilities and knowledge to guide her decisions. By listening to the father of lies, Adam and Even caused mankind to fall into sin: every man does what is right in his own eyes. As God pronounced in the Old Testament: And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5) Unfortunately, in the church, even with special assignments, positions, and gifts, this spirit of self-will is still very much in evidence. Only by remaining in Christ and allowing the Holy Spirit to teach and to guide us will we be full of the love of the Lord that binds us together in perfect harmony. There is a better way: the better way is the perfect way of love. Christ gave himself to us, He died on the cross because of his great love for us. We who are IN CHRIST SHOULD DISPLAY HIS LOVE AND LIGHT TO THE WORLD. We read in the Word: This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5) John goes on to say: God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. (1 John 4:16: That means we also have to die to our flesh. We have to be instruments of love. If we are not, the flesh is in control of our lives.
We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.
(1 John 3:14) Breakfast companions, we are not those who remain in death; we are those who are alive IN CHRIST JESUS. Therefore, go out and love others with God's perfect love: love your brethren and love the world. This is your daily assignment. 
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