For a moment I just want to allow the Word of God to speak directly from the source. Just take a moment to read and think with your hearts what this really means.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

God speaks to us and show us the Truths in this Word that we need to see.

It may seem pretty straight forward, right? We’ve all heard this passage spoken or have read it, maybe on a cute picture in Walmart. It seems romantic as we quote these few verses expressing our love to our spouse in a love letter or text message. (And if you haven’t written your spouse a love letter lately I would encourage you to take some time to do that right now. It’s free.)

But if we go back a few verses, we begin to see that there is a little more to this passage than a romantic definition of love. Let’s go back to verse 1.

1 I speak in the tonguesof men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

That seems a little strong doesn’t it? Basically, it doesn’t matter what we do, if we don’t love we are nothing and have done nothing. Let that sink in.

Finally lets take one more look at this passage before diving into what God showed me.

8 Love nevter 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. 1 Corinthians 13:8

I’m writing this to the Church, my dear brothers and sister in Christ.

For far to long, we have built our foundation upon our buildings, our tithes and offerings, our theology and tradition. While seeking to be right we’ve all become wrong. By our pride, we have convinced ourselves that we stand for what is right, when in reality we have perverted all that should be.

Yea theology is good and right, yet if we allow our theology to rob us of loving our brothers, our theology is wrong. If we become so angry while discussing Biblical things that we build a wall of hostility between ourselves and a fellow brother or sister, we have no foundation in which our theology can stand on.

Yes, buildings are wonderful, but when we allow our tradition and heritage to become higher than the call of love, they are as tombs.

Yes! Tithes and offerings are wonderful, but if we allow our doctrine to change so more money will be brought in and trade the truths of God for a lie, it would have been better for us all to have been born in total poverty.

Yes, structure is good and necessary, but when we allow our programs and timelines to quench the Spirit of the most high God, we have failed everyone involved. When we create programs that we become dependent on, we lose our dependence on God and time after time in history we see that whosoever, whenever or wherever should a people stop believing they need God and start believing they have everything under control, that life begins to crumble, because God in His Mercy wants us to k ow that He is over all and in all and through all and apart from Him we are nothing!

The Him I speak of is Christ our cornerstone and the Living God, who we know by His Word to be love! 1 John 4:8 “whoever does not love does not know God because God is love!”

Therefore, when we replace Christ in the context of 1 Corinthians 13 we see and understand that without Christ we are nothing! That is the first and greatest truth in this passage and the second is like it! When we allow our gifts and knowledge to take away our love for our brothers and sisters, we are nothing!

Brothers and sisters, love God and love one another!