1 Corinthians 13

Most people know 1 Corinthians 13 as the love chapter, and it is often a popular passage to read at weddings. However I listened to a sermon last week from one of the few men whom I truly respect, Matt Carter and he had a different take on what Paul is speaking to. If you have heard this man speak, do so. He is a man who speaks the truth in love. Anyways I was listening to his sermon on 1 Corinthians 13, and I had heard it before but when I heard it last week my world was rocked.

I had been having a hard time and my attitude was getting pretty poor. I was feeling very frustrated and it was effecting my ministry and I knew it. I was "off my game" and I needed a pick-me-up that I knew wasn't coming any time soon. So I searched through my sermon podcasts for one that really spoke to me. So I ended up here at First Corinthians 13.

This chapter is about love, but it is often taken out of context. It was not necessarily written about a general love between two people but about a mindset we are to have when we act out our tasks in our everyday life.

The intentions behind what we do mean everything, if you speak the truth but have your own interests in mind then your work will ultimately come to nothing. If you help others but only with the idea that now "they owe you" you are really helping nobody. If you do anything only because it makes you feel good or that it makes you popular then eventually your work comes to nothing. Paul says this at the beginning of this chapter. The reason you do something means EVERYTHING.

Next Paul speaks to the hard times, to when your popularity disappears and you are not being appreciated for what you do. He does this because this is when your intentions become apparent. The world says duck and run, be popular elsewhere when this happens, but Paul says if you have been working and living with the right intentions popularity and applause and appreciation are the reward we work for.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." (1 Cor 13:4-7)

When the applause dies those who labor in love still still be going strong. The qualities above will become apparent and they will endure and God will bless them. Matt said something in his sermon from one of his mentors that really changed my attitude. He said that we were not called to be loved but to love. That hit me hard, no matter who is working against me or frustrating me I cannot falter, because I cannot be focused on what I receive from others because that is temporary but instead I must be sustained by what I receive from God and then give that grace and love to others.

This is what being a mature Christian is all about. God's grace is sufficient. Living in this fact is not easy because we like to see our praise right away, we like to be acknowledged for accomplishments and rewarded for our triumphs. But when you truly act in love none of that. When we act in love applause is nice but we know that our master saw and knows and that is more than enough.

"Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears." (1 Cor 13:8-10)

I think here Paul is comforting us here. We are not perfect and we make mistakes. Paul is saying that when we make mistakes, that we should acknowledge them and refocus on the One who is perfect and seek His will. A "back to the basics" time if you will. There are times to speak and there are times to be silent. And a mature person is able to recognize these times. In the hard times, when we are "off our game" we seek to prove our correctness or sweep our mistakes under a rug. Instead I think Paul is saying repent and refocus during these times. God says if we seek Him we will find him. If we ask his wisdom He will answer. If we knock He will open the door. When we do this God will put us back on track. Not necessarily bringing back earthly praise but re-instilling our sense of security through living in His grace.

"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Cor 13:11-13)

Finally Paul explains that when we see this love then we are witnessing a spiritually mature person. He tells us that a person can have faith and hope but not be spiritually mature. Because faith and hope don't necessarily require pure intentions. People can have faith in God and show their faith and hope every day of their life as long as it keeps them in people's good graces. But if those good graces fall away it is love that sustains but without love, faith and hope can fall away when things get hard.

The God has given us all a role to play, and He has given us spiritual gifts to do this task masterfully. It is like God giving a boy his first knife. It is a tool, and if used correctly it will the knife can be a great asset. If used wrongly the knife can cause great damage to others and ourselves. The effectiveness of the knife does not lose its effectiveness when it is not acknowledged.

Our spiritual gifts are the same. They do not lose their effectiveness when they are not appreciated. And just like a knife our spiritual gifts have a purpose and if we use our gifts maturely, in love, others will benefit from our gifts. If we are childish in our use of the gifts God has given us we end up hurting others and ourselves.

So may you know that God has gifted you with power. And that He has given you the choice of how to use this power, for good or for evil. And may you know that when the applause fades and frustrations sets in that God's grace IS enough. So that you may stand firm in love for the world when times are hard. And that you may love like Jesus because he loves you.