I love the song "The proof of Your love" by for King and Country. I loved it from the first time I heard it. I loved the band's voices, the music, and I LOVED the message. But it wasn't until I was studying 1 Corinthians, Chapter 13, that I realized that the song wasn't just awesome words it was scripture based, which made me love it more.
1 Corinthians is just an AWESOME book, not that all of the books aren't awesome, but this book speaks to me and I can't get enough. 1 Corinthians is usually known to speak about love because of chapter 13 starting in verse 4 because of the definition of love. We have all heard it. It's in every wedding, on picture frames, and pretty much everything around Valentines day..you know, "Love is patient, kind, it does not envy or boast...and ends with the greatest of these is love." Honestly, that's really all I payed attention to when I read chapter 13 before. Maybe it was because of the song that verses 1-3 got my attention but it was the Lord who spoke them to my heart.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
"1) If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2) And
if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all
knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3) If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing."
By this point in 1 Corinthians, we are shown how important gifts are and why we need and should want them. After this, we are shown the importance of love. We can do all these things to try to further the kingdom and the church but if we do not have love, it's for nothing, we are nothing.
In 13:1 we see that someone who is speaking the language of the angels, something beautiful, is just annoying and loud without love.
In 13:2 We can do major things. Powers and miracles were a unbelievable thing until Jesus came. Paul says "have all faith, as to remove mountains." Jesus tells the disciples in Matthew 17:20 Nothing is impossible for someone with faith as small as a mustard seed. So we can even move a mountain! BUT if I don't have love, I am nothing. I can have faith all day long but without love, what matters? We're nothing.
13:3 "If I give away all I have.." In Mark chapter 10 starting in about verse 17 a man runs up to Jesus and ask eternal life and Jesus tells him the only thing lacking is giving up "everything he has." The man goes away without giving it up. and then the disciples say "We have given up everything!"
"..and if I deliver up my body to be burned," A famous VBS and sunday school lesson comes from Daniel chapter 3. It is about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendago. They are thrown into a furnace for not worshiping King Nebuchadnezzar and after God sending an angel into the furnace and them not even having a hair on their head singed, the king declares them servants of the "Most High God." Kings usually didn't acknowledge power over themselves so this was a HUGE thing for the kingdom of God...BUT, I repeat BUT, if they did not do it with love, they gained nothing.
A big thing about studying the word is applying it to your own life. The verses just show how important love is! To advance the kingdom you have to have love. Love is most important.
1 Corinthians 13:13
"So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three: but the greatest of these is love."
God speaks to us in this order on purpose:
1) What are spiritual gifts? (12: 1-11)
-services to the Lord
-many gifts
2) What is the importance of gifts in the body of Christ? (12:12-30)
-like the human body, all are important for their full potential
-they will grow the body of Christ
3) We want spiritual gifts! How do we receive spiritual gifts: (12:31)
-Earnestly desire them!
4) We will not receive spiritual gifts without Love. (13:1-3)
5) What is love? (13:4-12)
6) Love is most important. (13:13)
