1 Corinthians 13:6-13

It is as if Paul is rethinking the matter after he had had so much to say about love. There actually is so much more to learn about love but we cannot understand all of it because we only Know God incompletely. 12We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist.

It is like seeing through dirty glasses. You see some things but you’re not sure what it is. We see God in the Bible, in nature and in His creation around us but we still cannot see all of Him.

However, there will come a day when we shall know everything. 12…But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!

The question is: What do we do until then? This is Paul’s suggestion: 13 But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

The first thing we should do is to strengthen our relationship with God. God wants us to know more and more about Him. We have to hit in a spike so that we get to God’s Word every day. How often have we not missed out learning something about God because we just wanted to cuddle in bed a little longer?

God longs for an intimate relationship with us. He wants to spoil us. He wants to reveal so much to us but He does not want to do that to a stranger along the way. No, He wants to give it to his children who know Him well and who are in an intimate relationship with Him. He wants to reveal His will and give guidance and support where his children need Him.

Secondly you have to hold on to your faith with all your might. You have to stick to the truths of the Word because more and more people will tell you that you are crazy. There is no God. Some is going to talk about things like powers coming from bushes. People are losing their way and then they believe they know it all – we just have to join them. It is in times like these that we have to believe like a child. Believe that God will fulfil His promises, that the gates of heaven will open one day and that every person who made Him King of their lives will be welcomed with open arms. Come high, come low, with all your might hold on to the promises of God.

But Paul says that the best of the three is love. Do you see that these are all things we need to do? We need to strive for an intimate relationship with God. We have to hold on to our faith. We have to love. A verb! It is almost like coffee which became a verb in Stellenbosch. We say: Are you going to coffee with me at that restaurant? We have to love.

Maybe the time has come to read 1 Corinthians 13‘s definition of love once again. Let us make sure that others will be able to feel the love in us because we made love a verb.

Reflection

Do you believe?

Do you hope?

Do you love noticeably?

Prayer

Our Father, I believe with all of my heart that your promises will be fulfilled. I long for an intimate relationship with you.  I really want to make love a verb everywhere I go.  I accept your invitation and will follow you all the way.  Amen