A Love Chapter on a Day of Hate - September 11, Readings: Isaiah 34-35, 1 Corinthians 13, Psalm 105:30–36, Proverbs 22:20–21

Links to Today's Readings

This is a day that will live forever in infamy as long as the USA lasts. It was only 14 years ago that September 11 was just a Tuesday, a day like any other day. That all changed when terrorists attacked America and this date because 9/11, a day of sorrow and remembrance. What brutal hate it was, to enter airplanes and fly them into buildings with the intent to kill people who never did you harm. Since that day we've seen a astronomic increase of brutal acts of hate worldwide. In this last year, the world has witnessed unspeakable televised brutality from ISIS and others.

Our fleshly response is to fight fire with fire, and certainly we want our government to enforce justice in this world. But as Christians, we have different weapons with which to fight the spiritual fight in this world. 1 Corinthians 13 describes God's primary weapon - love. When the world rebelled against him and fought his Lordship, he responded with love. And in 1 Corinthians 13 he reminds us that no matter what we do in life, if our lives are not marked by love, they will matter for nothing.

The first three verses are amazing, when you think of what they assert are meaningless without love.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

The preceding chapter was a corrective about the Corinthians fascination with tongues and other spectacular gifts. But Paul says if you can display the most amazing spiritual giftings (speaking in the tongues of men and angels) but have not love, it's like a loud, annoying cymbal solo. Meaningless noise. If you have prophetic gifts and insights into all the mysteries of God, but you do not live in God's love, or if you have the faith to work miracles that would wow the world, but you do not love others, all your wisdom and all your miraculous power is in vain. Even if you give all your earthly goods away or become a martyr for Christ, but you do it out of selfish motives, not out of a love for Christ and others, there is no reward. All of this is empty and without value unless love is the motive.

The rest of the chapter goes on to define love as Christlike actions - patience, kindness, forgiveness - all those things that Christ did. When we live in Christ, his love works through us to change the lives around us. We can make more of an impact on the world through the love of Christ than in any other way. It behooves us to remember the words that Paul ended this chapter with.

The greatest of these is love.

Father, may my life not be marked by wisdom or rhetoric alone, but by your love displayed to others day by day.