The Most Excellent Way

“…But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way.  If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge and 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.” 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:3

My speech – my spiritual gifting or ability – my wisdom – my knowledge – my faith – my generosity – even my surrender matter not if they are not born out of and guided by love; not human love which waivers, but divine love which is constant.  This passage came alive to me as two of my learners at home and I memorized it and recited it day after day.  The implications of this particular passage of Scripture were enormous in my life – as so much of my Christian life was lived out of doing “what was required” rather than out of being “loved by my Father.”  

As a child growing up I was not well loved as a result many times I do not love well. Early on in my journey with Christ as a young adult I determined to tear down barriers to loving and being loved, but it seemed at every turn I came up short.  Somehow I devised if I could get it all “right” then love and grace and joy and peace and the whole-nine-yards would abound.  Bible study and prayer with the goal of attaining holiness, wisdom, and knowledge became my life.   And indeed I excelled!  

Yet, something was missing – something was lacking.  Internally, I struggled to find a deep abiding sense that I was loved.  I knew all the right answers, but I didn’t feel the sheer delight of my Father’s love towards me. What I didn’t know then (that I am keenly aware of now) is that all my striving was an effort to make myself pleasing and acceptable to my Creator in hopes of being loved and knowing His love; it had been about me, because somewhere along the line I missed His love, the truth that I already had His love.

Through painful circumstances God opened my eyes to the misconceptions I had about Him and His word – even about myself.  Sometimes in our Christian lives we can wrongly place so much emphasis on personal holiness, righteousness, and self-examination that we are unknowingly led into spiritual narcissism, and once there it is hard to hear the simple truths given to us through Paul…”follow the way of love…the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love…God’s love compels us…nothing can separate us from His love…”; and John, the Beloved Disciple, “God is love…God  lives in us and His love is made complete in us…so we know and rely on the love God has for us…there is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear…let us love one another, for love comes from God.” (1 Cor 13, Galatians 5:6, 2 Cor 5, Romans 8:38, 1 John 4:8,12,16,18, 7)

The pieces of the God’s puzzle keep coming together before me.  First Corinthians 13 through God’s Holy Spirit illumines my mind and these words echo, “It’s all about love; it’s all about Love.”  Nothing I do can manufacture love.  Plenty of what I do can make me feel better (or worse depending on the day) about myself, but at the end of the day when it’s just me and God nothing I do warrants His love. The vessel cannot mold or fill itself; and that is exactly what I am – a vessel. I must be molded and filled by the One who created me.  Only the One who breathed life into me physically and spiritually can impart His love to me and enable me to share His love with others.

I now know that I was loved as well by those who were in charge of my care as they were loved; they could only love me to the extent that they had first been loved or received love.  I find it a rule in my own life that when I am loving poorly it’s because I have failed to perceive and receive the love God is continually pouring out on me , and when I am loving well it is only because I am fully aware that I am standing under and soaking in the deluge of God’s love. (Romans 5)

Friends, nothing we do matters apart from being loved by God and allowing Him to love others through us.  Let us choose the more excellent way; the law of love over love of the law.  May it be His love for us and His love for others what wake us up in the morning and puts us to rest in the evening.