ODJ: being there
November 25, 2009
READ: 1 Corinthians 13
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal (v.1).
Last week my wife had five teeth removed—all in one morning. Ouch. Needless to say, it’s been a painful and—due to difficulties with some of the pain medication—nauseating experience for her. As she’s been pretty much bedridden over the past several days, my caregiving repertoire has included ice packs, warm washcloths, liquids, soft foods, and simply spending time with her. She has wanted me to be there.
As I’ve strived to love Lynn sacrificially, I’ve been reminded of 1 Corinthians 13. This chapter, a perennial favorite for wedding texts, presents God’s agape love. Three times in verses 1-3, Paul writes that even if we exercise our spiritual gifts in amazing ways, but don’t “love others,” it amounts to “nothing.”
It is interesting that the “Love Chapter” is sandwiched between two chapters focusing on spiritual gifts and how believers should use them for a “way of life that is best of all” (12:31). Paul’s point is that God has given us spiritual gifts to use, but they must be exercised in love—real love that is kind, humble, forgiving, and persevering (vv.4-8).
God reveals that kind of love in the way the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit share a deep and permanent affection for one another. This is the agape that He wants us to show to others—especially our spouses.
If I had simply brought Lynn my “gifts” of comfort this past week, but didn’t have God’s love in my heart, I would have been a “noisy gong” (v.1) and truly clueless. Loving those closest to us as well as others in the body of Christ requires a sacrificial spirit that flows from God.
It isn’t merely bringing your gifts, it’s being there because of love. —Tom Felten
Not everyone who is kind to a neighbor also loves Jesus. What is unique about our service to others that makes it count as loving Jesus? Why is it important to love others and spend time alone with Jesus?
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November 25, 2009
READ: 1 Thessalonians 1
The word of the Lord has sounded forth . . . in every place. —1 Thessalonians 1:8
Francis Asbury rode 6,000 miles a year on horseback for nearly half a century. Despite ill health, he drove himself tirelessly. He sustained himself with venison jerky—a food that wouldn’t spoil during his extended travels. Asbury is remembered for introducing the Methodist “circuit-riding preacher” as an effective way to capture the American frontier for Christ. Planting new churches in remote areas was central to his approach.
At the close of Asbury’s ministry, he had recruited over 700 traveling preachers. In 1771, when Asbury arrived in the colonies, there were only about 600 Methodists in America. Forty-five years later, there were 200,000!
In many ways, Asbury’s strategy for planting churches reflects the approach of the apostle Paul. To the church he had planted in Thessalonica, Paul wrote: “From you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place” (1 Thess. 1:8; see Acts 17:1-10).
The days of the “circuit-riding preacher” have come and gone. But each of us has a “frontier” where friends, relatives, and neighbors are our mission field. Can you think of someone today who needs to hear the good news? — Dennis Fisher
Those who love Christ have a love for the lost.
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Original artwork submitted by Zhichuan, 21, Malaysia
One of the first entries submitted for “Joy of Christmas” contest!
Zhichuan has kindly made his artwork available for download as wallpapers too.
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