There really is only one thing I can write about today, isn’t there? What other theme could there be for Valentine’s Day than love? And what more wonderful passage of Scripture is there concerning this than Paul’s celebrated words to the Corinthians? The following session from Daily Prayer 2 (see here for more daily devotional material, and here for similar posts), reminds us of the importance of love, the greatest of gifts, in both daily life and discipleship. If we do not have it, truly we have nothing.
The greatest of gifts
Read
If I speak in the tongues of people or angels, but do not have love, I become nothing more than a blasting trumpet or a clashing cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith such as to remove mountains, yet do not have love, then I am nothing. If I dispense all my goods and surrender my body to be burned, yet do not have love, it profits me nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
Ponder
What constitutes a smile? Superficially, it’s simply an upturning of the mouth indicating happiness, warmth and pleasure. However, in reality it comes from the eyes as well, and if the lips say one thing but the eyes another it can be strangely disconcerting. Something vital is missing and, as a result, the smile is rendered meaningless.
The Apostle Paul warns of something similar in terms of Christian discipleship. He’d encountered all kinds of sincere and well-meaning people over the course of his ministry; people who called themselves Christians, who were morally upright, zealous in worship, active in almsgiving, passionate about doctrine and, to all appearances, ardent and committed believers. Yet, said Paul, many of these lacked the one thing really needed, the vital gift that animates all the others: love. Take that away from faith and there is nothing left worth having, just an empty shell. We may look the part, we may do everything else right, yet the commitment we profess will be meaningless, so much worthless chaff. For faith to be what it should be it needs God’s love to flow in and through our lives. Is that true of you? Does love lie at the heart of your discipleship? Without it, however devoted you may be, your faith is not worth a penny, but if you have love in your heart then, however flawed your commitment may be, you are nonetheless not far from the kingdom of heaven.
Ask yourself
In what ways might a lack of love show itself in the context of Christian commitment? What are the signs of a loveless faith? Are there aspects of your discipleship in which love is lacking?
Pray
Lord Jesus Christ, you tell me that God’s wishes are summed up in the command to love, and I nod my head at the idea, warming both to the sentiment and to the way it encapsulates the gospel in a nutshell. Yet, though I salute love and proclaim its importance, I fail to show it as much as I should, and unwittingly turn faith instead into a matter of duty, doctrine, morality or ritual; of doing the right things and making the right noises. As a result, it becomes a matter of outward show belied by inner reality. Remind me that I may have all kinds of gifts and virtues, in every way looking the part of a faithful disciple, yet be inwardly barren, lacking love for others. Save me from a commitment that goes through the motions but lacks the one thing needed: your love filling my heart and flowing through my life. Amen.
Remember
A simple meal seasoned with love is far better than the finest steak where there is hatred. Proverbs 15:17
Close
Teach me, Lord, that the poorest of dishes served with love is worth far more than the finest of feasts without it. Amen.