All About Love

1 Corinthians 14:1-4

Let love be your highest goal! (1 Corinthians 14:1)

AS CHRISTIANITY ENTERED its second century, believers began finding themselves in a somewhat different position than before. Yes, the sporadic, local persecutions that marked the first generations of the faith would continue. And yes, the minority status of Christians would remain for years to come. But over time, believers became a much more significant minority. Where once they were seen as strange anomalies, they now were seen by some as an attractive sect. The community of believers increasingly grew.

What was the impetus for their growth? Answers that often come to mind include boldness, faith, power in prayer, willingness to suffer without recanting their beliefs, and more. But ancient witnesses testify of a greater asset that drew people to the church: love. Christians were known for ministering to the sick when others fled the infectious disease; for displaying affection for one another even when they disagreed; for embracing the marginalized; and for loving the unlovely. Love was not unknown in any culture, of course, but it was not as highly valued in Greco-Roman society as it was in Christian fellowships. Love—at least in some places at some times—began to look like a new, authentic way of life.

If you’re observant, you may notice a phenomenon in your life and culture. People who zealously pursue the gifts of the Spirit and the wisdom of God but don’t have loving hearts tend to be frustrated (even when they rise higher in the church). But those whose prayers are motivated by love, whose service is driven by love, and whose lives are saturated with love experience unusual power and growth. More than that, they draw others to themselves. That’s because God multiples fruitfulness when love is behind it. And when it isn’t . . . well, he doesn’t. At least not nearly as often.

Make love your highest priority—more than winning people to Christ, more than convincing others of your views, more than exercising the most powerful spiritual gifts. Set the course of your life by divine love, and watch your life flourish in ways you never anticipated. Miracles of faith and power come through those who love.

{Jesus, you stressed love to your followers, and we have failed the ideal far too often. Bring me back to it. Ground me in this foundation. Let my life overflow with the power of your love. Amen.