March 24, 2021
Wednesday
1 Corinthians 13:1-13 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away 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 just as I also am known.
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Human love can be very strong. But Agape does not originate in man. What doesn’t originate with you, you can’t generate. Humans generate natural love because that’s what they have. It does not originate with God. Divine love is within God and if you’re going to generate it, you’ll have to get it from the source.
Verse 8 – We have our natural human language and our heavenly language. In this verse it says, “where there are tongues, they will cease.” Why? Because when you go to heaven you won’t need them. But until then, you have them here. They have not ceased here.
Verse 11 – God is a full-grown adult; He is looking through that lens. You are a child looking through a child’s perspective. But when you mature, you can see Him as He is, and you can see yourself as He sees you. When you’re a child you can’t do that. Have you ever tried to reason with a child? Or get them to see something that they don’t have the capacity to see yet? It takes time for them to grow up and see from an adult’s perspective. When you mature, you can see face to face (verse 12).
Everything in the Bible is about love. Everything about God is love. Our whole lives are supposed to be about love. Eternal life is based on love. We haven’t given it our focus as we should. That’s why chapter 14 verse 1 tells us to PURSUE IT. Love won’t come and just jump on you. You have to go after it! What have you done with Love? This is a question we should ask ourselves often. Because without intention, it will not develop. Make it your aim, your goal, your great quest! You don’t just wake up one day and just decide, “okay I’m going to walk in love.” It does not work that way because humans do not generate it! You have to go to God constantly to get it because it originates within Him. It is a daily thing! You need Him every single day! And if you neglect it, you won’t have it when you need it.
1 Corinthians 12:11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
We were taught that the gifts of the spirit only operate as the Spirit wills. This is correct. It is something you can’t do just because you want to. This is not to be confused with tongues for personal edification. You can do that anytime you want to! But you can’t generate a tongue to be interpreted at will. What this verse is saying is, He wills to do it all the time! But He can’t through a people that’s in a condition that the church was in. That’s why it took him 11 chapters to correct them!
John 3:34 For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.
Jesus, not as God, but as a man sent by God, had the Spirit of God without measure. He walked in full measure. Most of the people Jesus healed, weren’t in church.
1 Corinthians 12:31 But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.
God wants to show you a better way! Pursue the love of God like you go after the things in the world! You will have found a shortcut. This is the ONLY shortcut in God. Have you ever had a really rough week and you are looking forward to Sunday morning church so you can get in His presence and all that will lift off of you, even if for a moment? Church should be that way. But, there’s something better! You can have Him on Monday! Jesus walked around with Him all the time! Jesus was from Nazareth. A natural man. He is our prototype, our example. He is the image we are to look at and become like. If you think for one minute, that it’s not the will of God for us to live the way Jesus did, you are misinformed. Jesus himself had to go through preparation. He had to fast and pray in preparation. He had to face the devil and temptation. He had to deal with His flesh and keep His mind under control. He had to deal with all the things we have to. He was a man! He became like us! You will never be Jesus the deity. But you have His standing now as a son. He gave that to you. Everything that He accomplished on the cross, He turned and handed it to you. He bought and paid for it. He didn’t just save you to get you out of hell, He saved you to get you back to Himself. There is a better way! His presence is meant to live with you! When you come to the altar to get some relief and some help, what happens is, basically you are prayed for and the dead fruit is shaken off of your tree. But there’s a way to go to the root. The dead fruit comes off and you feel better, but the root is still there, and it just comes back. There’s a better way to live! When you understand His love and how to develop it, that love goes straight to the root. It can see the root. You cannot because you’re looking through a child’s lens.
Genesis 2:24-25 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
They were unveiled. When you get to heaven, transparency is a big word. Down here, everyone is hiding behind something. When you hide behind things, you’re never going to know the love He has for you. And until you know the love, He has for you, you can’t love people like He designed you to love them. When you can’t love others like He designed, you can’t live life like He designed it to be lived.
Imagine having nothing hidden. Not trying to be someone else. Being secure in who you are. Life goofs people up. And just like Adam and Eve, when the devil gets in, that covering comes off and we get our fig leaves and put it around us to hide ourselves and our shame. To hide the things that have happened to us and hide the things that we think taint our existence. This is all about roots! There’s a better way to live than to live your whole life behind a veil.
Psalm 91:1-2 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
HE CAN’T BE YOUR FORTRESS AS LONG AS YOU’VE GOT ALL YOUR VEILS UP SAYING, “ILL BE MY OWN FORTRESS” He can’t get in! People can’t get in! Because you won’t let them! That’s the veil you’re looking through! Don’t remain veiled! So, what’s going to change it? Go into to the love of God and let Him uproot that stuff! God can heal a damaged soul in the blink of an eye. Love never fails. Love can heal any pain, hurt, or trauma. Your need will never be fulfilled until you run to the need meeter. Get in God’s presence and tell Him how interested you are in knowing Him. Saturate yourself in His love.