Giants with hearts of Stone
No, I am not talking about Goliath, even though he certainly would fit the above description.
What do we think of as being the things that make a spiritual giant, and man or woman far above the devotion of most people who profess Christianity? The kind of faith that God honors with marvelous results, even to trees uprooting themselves and planting themselves in the sea, or whole mountains moving, maybe? That is no ordinary faith to be sureit is a faith that few people possess!
What about prophecy, tongues, and all the things of the Spirit? Like a strong faith, these are things that may be available to all, but are rarely found nonetheless. Surely someone who consistently feels the things of the Spirit, and whom God trusts with prophecies, must be a spiritual giant!
What about the people who give up everything to teach the gospel to others across the seawho put so much into learning the languages of others to teach them about God? These are no ordinary Christians, to be willing to go this far from their comfort zone for the sake of sharing the Gospel with others!
What about people who go so far as to take Jesus command so literally as to sell everything they have to give to the poor? This is far beyond what we are required to do as His followers, and sutrely these people must have the ultimate in Christ-like character!
What about people who are willing to be burned at the stake for their faith? Suffice it to say that these are often regarded as the greatest super heroes of all!
What about someone who had a combination of these things, or even all of them???
Well there is such a thing as a spiritual giant who has a heart of stone, and whose apparent size is not his stature in Christ, because he is lacking the most essential part of being His follower.
That one essential thing is the kind of enduring, selfless love and compassion Jesus taught and exemplified in His life.
1 Cor. 13:1
If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
So much for the missionary and the Bible translator and the one who speaks in tongues, if he has not love (even though these are truly wonderful things when they are from a heart of love!).
1Cor. 13:2
And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
So much for the incredible giant of faith who works miracles through prayer, and for the prophet and the one who so feels the things of Spirit, if it is not accompanied by true selfless love and compassion for all (even though these are truly wonderful things when they are from a heart of love!).
1 Cor. 13:3
And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
Finally, so much for the one who even sells all he has for the poor, or who would rather be burned at the stake than deny Christ, if it is not accompanied by a heart of true selfless love and compassion for all (even though these are truly wonderful things when they are from a heart of love!).
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These things are all SO important and in fact vital to the Christian life!!! (There is no Christianity without faith for instance, and all else flows from faith. There is also no Christian walk that is not totally led by and submitted to the Spirit, or faithful unto death, etc.) It is just that none of it can ever substitute for a heart of love and compassion.
Love and compassion are selflessand are committed to giving to those who cannot repay (or even thank), to feeding the hungry, clothing those dressed in rags, visiting the sick, taking in the homeless and foreigners. Love and compassion do to others not only everything they would want done to them, but as near as is humanly possible to what they would want done in that persons place with his background and expereince and needsexactly what the Lord shows them and exactly what they would do if that person were Jesus Himself!
And the motives are not for repayment or even gratitude, but only ever for the sake of that good having been done to that personfor his sake, the sake of the good, and Gods sake.
If someone has the most wonderful miraculous faith or is consistently led by the Spirit, and yet does not live a life devoted to love and caringand serving and giving and helping, above anything and everything else, his claim of Christianity, and even his faith and spiritual sight, all amount to nothing, as is clearly shown in this passage.
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We could add to the list of things that we can have and still be nothing without love what about correct doctrine (which actually comes under all knowledge in 1 Cor 13:2)? What about purity in speech and actions? What about the whole range of conservative standards and convictions?
All these thingsevery last one of themare absolutely nothing, without a heart of enduring love and compassion the way Jesus taught. Again they are very important to our Christianity. But nothing can ever substitute for a heart whose only motives are always love, compassion, forgiveness, forbearance, mercy, serving, giving, listening, caring.
We can have every last one of the things that is supposed to make a super giant of the faith, but if the foundation of all of it is not every aspect of selfess love and compassionof pouring oneself out continually to caringthen our Christian walk is nothing and counts for nothing. It could only be a pretense.
Blessings,
costlygrace
1st Corinthians 13:4-13
[4] Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, [5] does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, [6] does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; [7] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. [8] Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. [9] For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; [10] but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. [11] When I was a child, I used to speak as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. [12] For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I shall know fully just as I also have been fully known. [13] But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
No, I am not talking about Goliath, even though he certainly would fit the above description.
What do we think of as being the things that make a spiritual giant, and man or woman far above the devotion of most people who profess Christianity? The kind of faith that God honors with marvelous results, even to trees uprooting themselves and planting themselves in the sea, or whole mountains moving, maybe? That is no ordinary faith to be sureit is a faith that few people possess!
What about prophecy, tongues, and all the things of the Spirit? Like a strong faith, these are things that may be available to all, but are rarely found nonetheless. Surely someone who consistently feels the things of the Spirit, and whom God trusts with prophecies, must be a spiritual giant!
What about the people who give up everything to teach the gospel to others across the seawho put so much into learning the languages of others to teach them about God? These are no ordinary Christians, to be willing to go this far from their comfort zone for the sake of sharing the Gospel with others!
What about people who go so far as to take Jesus command so literally as to sell everything they have to give to the poor? This is far beyond what we are required to do as His followers, and sutrely these people must have the ultimate in Christ-like character!
What about people who are willing to be burned at the stake for their faith? Suffice it to say that these are often regarded as the greatest super heroes of all!
What about someone who had a combination of these things, or even all of them???
Well there is such a thing as a spiritual giant who has a heart of stone, and whose apparent size is not his stature in Christ, because he is lacking the most essential part of being His follower.
That one essential thing is the kind of enduring, selfless love and compassion Jesus taught and exemplified in His life.
1 Cor. 13:1
If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
So much for the missionary and the Bible translator and the one who speaks in tongues, if he has not love (even though these are truly wonderful things when they are from a heart of love!).
1Cor. 13:2
And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
So much for the incredible giant of faith who works miracles through prayer, and for the prophet and the one who so feels the things of Spirit, if it is not accompanied by true selfless love and compassion for all (even though these are truly wonderful things when they are from a heart of love!).
1 Cor. 13:3
And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
Finally, so much for the one who even sells all he has for the poor, or who would rather be burned at the stake than deny Christ, if it is not accompanied by a heart of true selfless love and compassion for all (even though these are truly wonderful things when they are from a heart of love!).
********************************
These things are all SO important and in fact vital to the Christian life!!! (There is no Christianity without faith for instance, and all else flows from faith. There is also no Christian walk that is not totally led by and submitted to the Spirit, or faithful unto death, etc.) It is just that none of it can ever substitute for a heart of love and compassion.
Love and compassion are selflessand are committed to giving to those who cannot repay (or even thank), to feeding the hungry, clothing those dressed in rags, visiting the sick, taking in the homeless and foreigners. Love and compassion do to others not only everything they would want done to them, but as near as is humanly possible to what they would want done in that persons place with his background and expereince and needsexactly what the Lord shows them and exactly what they would do if that person were Jesus Himself!
And the motives are not for repayment or even gratitude, but only ever for the sake of that good having been done to that personfor his sake, the sake of the good, and Gods sake.
If someone has the most wonderful miraculous faith or is consistently led by the Spirit, and yet does not live a life devoted to love and caringand serving and giving and helping, above anything and everything else, his claim of Christianity, and even his faith and spiritual sight, all amount to nothing, as is clearly shown in this passage.
**************************
We could add to the list of things that we can have and still be nothing without love what about correct doctrine (which actually comes under all knowledge in 1 Cor 13:2)? What about purity in speech and actions? What about the whole range of conservative standards and convictions?
All these thingsevery last one of themare absolutely nothing, without a heart of enduring love and compassion the way Jesus taught. Again they are very important to our Christianity. But nothing can ever substitute for a heart whose only motives are always love, compassion, forgiveness, forbearance, mercy, serving, giving, listening, caring.
We can have every last one of the things that is supposed to make a super giant of the faith, but if the foundation of all of it is not every aspect of selfess love and compassionof pouring oneself out continually to caringthen our Christian walk is nothing and counts for nothing. It could only be a pretense.
Blessings,
costlygrace
1st Corinthians 13:4-13
[4] Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, [5] does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, [6] does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; [7] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. [8] Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. [9] For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; [10] but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. [11] When I was a child, I used to speak as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. [12] For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I shall know fully just as I also have been fully known. [13] But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
