1 Corinthians 13:1-7, 13
The Message (MSG)
The Way of Love
13 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.
2 If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing.
3-7 If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.
Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.
13 But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.
Benjie Kim kicked off the new series, Fan or Follower. This series is about discipleship. Are we fans of Jesus or really followers of him in discipleship? Dallas Willard defines discipleship as followers who are willing to do anything and everything to master the craft. As followers of Christ, the ultimate craft is to love. From, 1 Corinthians 13:1-7, 13 (The Message), Benjie shares how we must pursue love with intimacy and vulnerability. As we enter vulnerability, we feel naked. Are we willing to be naked in front of God, so He can see our sins and pains? Our pursuit of God involves great fear and pain. Christ became naked and broken for us. When we become naked, God will clothe us in His love. He will heal and redeem us in His timing. Discipleship is relational, not transactional. As we pursue love, the byproducts will be change. God is the one that will change us. The price has already been paid by Jesus, so we’re free. The call for discipleship is to pursue love.
Benjie Kim kicked off the new series, Fan or Follower. This series is about discipleship. Are we fans of Jesus or really followers of him in discipleship? Dallas Willard defines discipleship as followers who are willing to do anything and everything to master the craft. As followers of Christ, the ultimate craft is to love. From, 1 Corinthians 13:1-7, 13 (The Message), Benjie shares how we must pursue love with intimacy and vulnerability. As we enter vulnerability, we feel naked. Are we willing to be naked in front of God, so He can see our sins and pains? Our pursuit of God involves great fear and pain. Christ became naked and broken for us. When we become naked, God will clothe us in His love. He will heal and redeem us in His timing. Discipleship is relational, not transactional. As we pursue love, the byproducts will be change. God is the one that will change us. The price has already been paid by Jesus, so we’re free. The call for discipleship is to pursue love.
by Arnold Wang
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