Blog Layout
The Greatest Gift is Love
Andrea Lende • October 29, 2020
I Corinthians 12:31
The Greatest Gift is Love
You can also listen to the meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/The-Greatest-Gift-is-Love-elorss
I Corinthians 12:31
“But earnestly desire and zealously cultivate the greatest and best gifts and graces (the higher gifts and the choicest graces). And yet I will show you a still more and excellent way [one that is better by far and the highest of them all – love].”
Paul had been preaching about the spiritual gifts given to each of us by the Holy Spirit.
These beloved gifts are given to assist the church body.
Each gift is referred to as part of the body.
Each member of the body being equally important.
If we look at our own bodies, our eyes and ears are tiny members of our bodies but are significant and magnificent.
Likewise, each member of the church body is significant and magnificent as well.
Each of us is given a gift to use.
Not just to use, but to cultivate.
Paul tells us to “earnestly desire and zealously cultivate”
the gifts we have been given.
These are action words.
We must work on our gifts to help them grow and utilize them to their highest and best use.
I’m sure each of us knows someone who is extremely talented, and yet, does not utilize their talent.
They tend to want to spend time doing something else or nothing at all.
We see their great talent come to nothing.
That generally leaves them feeling their lives are less than meaningful.
They haven’t used the talent they have been given.
Same is true of our spiritual gifts.
If we get caught up in the busyness of life and do not tend to the spiritual gifts we have been given, life becomes less meaningful.
This seems to happen slowly over time until we come to the last chapter of our lives and we haven’t been available or able to be fully used by God.
However, if we take the time to cultivate our spiritual gifts, we can be highly used by the Lord and serve Him in all His glory.
As we use the gifts we have been given, there are more to come.
Just like the parable about the men who were given ‘talents’.
A couple of the men invested wisely, produced much, and were given more talents.
But the one who buried his lost the one he had been given.
Paul also tells the church the greatest gift of all gifts is love.
Love is a gift.
It is to be treated like the other gifts – “earnestly desired and zealously cultivated”.
Love takes work.
It isn’t always a natural feeling.
I frequently pray the Lord fills me with His love because sometimes it is difficult to love others.
Sometimes we don’t feel like loving others.
We must seek love.
Desire to love others.
And pray that God helps us love.
Today I pray the Lord puts His love in my heart so that I may love as He loves.
May you find the Lord has given you beautiful spiritual gifts to cultivate and that He will fill your heart with love.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for showing me I need to cultivate the spiritual gifts you have given me. Thank You for showing me the greatest gift of all is love. Help me love others, Father, when it is hard to love. Fill my heart with Your love so that I may love as You do. Soften my heart for Your people and put compassion in my soul. May I die to my own self and live for You. Above all else, I pray I live for You, Lord. May the gifts You have given me be used for Your highest purpose. Teach me about these gifts and help me earnestly desire to learn more about them and use them for Your glory. Help me do all that You have for me to do, Father. Help me be obedient to You in every way. Lead and guide me today as I move through this day. Help me hear Your gentle whispers. May Your Holy Spirit be ever present in my spirit as this day enfolds. Help me bless someone today. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: My love is inside you, My child, and I will lead you through this day and all days.
Response: Thank You, most gracious and loving Father.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.