Do You Have Love?

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. ² And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³ And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. – 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (NKJV)

What a minute, let’s break that down.  If we are able to speak incredibly well to the world and even to the angels in heaven, it is empty and worthless?  What if we can prophesy about the future and have wisdom and knowledge of mysteries in this world?  What if we are so strong in our faith that we can move a mountain?  What if we sacrifice everything we can offer that we are able to give?

Verse 1 is about the heart.  Jesus taught us that “those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man” (Mt 15:18).  I’ve never heard an angel speak, but I have heard marvelous eloquence from men, and I must assume that angels speak so much more so powerful and with authority.  Yet, if we do not speak from a heart that has the love of God in it, it is worthless.  Our speech is corrupt and not worthy to be heard.  The term “sounding brass, or a tinkling or clanging cymbal” means emptiness and confusion, even unpleasantness.  The message of the gospel must rule in our hearts.

Verse 2 is about the mind.  Knowledge alone is not enough.  Maybe we’ve memorized every word in the Bible.  It is not enough.  Understanding alone is not enough.  Soloman writes in Ecclesiastes 1:16-17, “I communed with my heart, saying, “Look, I have attained greatness, and have gained more wisdom than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My heart has understood great wisdom and knowledge.”  And I set my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is grasping for the wind.”  God’s love and gospel message has to be added to the knowledge and to the understanding. 

Verse 3 is about the will.  Will you follow the commands of God?  Are you going to do what He says?  If you do it must be done with the love of God and His gospel message or it is of no value.

Let’s look at it this way.  We’re going to write down a string of zeros.  Eloquence = 0; Prophecy = 0; Knowledge = 0; Understanding = 0; Faith = 0; Sacrifice = 0; Martyrdom = 0.  That’s seven 0’s: 0,000,000.  Put them all together and you get zero.  But, if you put a ‘1’ at the front, then every zero now has a value, it amounts to something: 10,000,000.  Love is the thing that has to be added to every gift, otherwise they are worthless.

The song, The Proof Of Your Love, sung by “for King & Country” is a great song describing these verses.  I also like the interpretation as give by The Message Bible:

If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. 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. 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. (1 Corinthians 13:1-7, The Message)

All that we say and do must be done with the love of God that is the gospel message.  

If we speak, it should be from the foundation of the gospel message.  

If we have knowledge and understanding, it should be from the foundation of the gospel message.  

If we sacrifice anything or give of ourselves, it should be from the foundation of the gospel message.

This compels us to ask a very important real question.

   -     How does someone “have love”? 

You receive the gift of God, who is love, into your heart.  You believe His gospel message with your mind.  You are willing to follow His commands with your will. 

Ask yourself:

1. Is God the focus of intent of your heart?  Does He come out in your speech?
2. Is God the focus of your learning and understanding of the mysteries of this world?  Do you look for Him everywhere in the world?
3. Is God the focus of what you do?  Are you following Him?

Ask your church:

1. Are we sharing the love that God and Jesus shared?
2. Are we sharing the message that Jesus shared?
3. Are we doing everything as someone that has love?