First
Corinthians 13 stands among frequently found texts at public occasions; and
that would be alright if it had not become a cliché for immature and precarious
sentiments about love. Misapplications of such statements as “bears all things,”
“believes all things,” and “hopes all things,” have kept many an abused wife in
a deplorable relationship and turned many parents into enablers of addicted children.
Scripture
warns against idealistic applications of love. It is my conviction that “The
Great Love Chapter” is dedicated to “the
Greatest Commandment,” and it has to do with the look of loving God with all
our heart, mind, soul, and strength.
Paul
begins with a contrast between love and popular concepts of spirituality. Care
for the poor does not necessarily flow from love for God. Martyrs may be
motivated by the hope of earning merit from a God they fear rather than love.
When Paul pens his sixteen-fold ode he no longer speaks of “love.” He speaks of
“the love.” The specificity demands that I ask, “What love?” And the answer
cannot ignore what Scripture identifies as the love of the sovereign commandment.
When
seen this way, the grand statements about “the love” pose some uncomfortable
questions. Do you behave rudely toward God? Do you never entertain a notion
that God has not been good to you? Do you patiently endure all things he allows
your way? Do you really believe all he has revealed?
When
we let those questions rise from the text, we look differently at what follows.
Does love take a back seat to your loyalty to the latest prophetic theories? Is
it blurred by perceived giftedness? Does it retreat behind a use of knowledge
as a power base? A breakdown in love for God will either stifle or contaminate all
other loves.
PREVIOUS DEVOTIONAL: A Young Man's Struggle With the Sovereign Commandments
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