A more excellent Way.
1 Corinthians 12:31 “But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet show I unto you a more excellent way.”
Love to God is that more excellent way. We should love Him, for He first loved us. (1 John 4:19)
Where serving the Lord Jesus Christ is concerned, this is a more excellent way:
1 Corinthians 13:1 “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity (love), I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal”
Though I could speak in every language of this earth; proclaiming the gospel far and wide.
And if I could testify of the gospel story in angels language:
If love for Jesus is not the motivation for all that talk…
It would be just so much noise.
Loud noise; “sounding brass” like trumpets. “How great!” man will say; but to God it would be just noise.
Soft noise; “tinkling cymbal” like the end of a orchestra piece. Empty and just noise.
1 Corinthians 13:2 “And though I have the gift of prophesy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.”
This is the one that used to shake me up. I am a preacher; and I study a lot. I would say I know a lot…but all of that would be useless if I don’t use this knowledge, so I know Jesus, the lover of my soul, more.
And faith to remove mountains; that’s something that everyone wants….but without love to Jesus as our motive; we will be nothing. (Remember Paul was writing this; and he had great knowledge, and understood many mysteries.)
But Paul also understood, that to do for God, without love to God; is to really doing for a reward from God. Which is another way of saying, you are doing it for you.
1 Corinthians 13:3 “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.”
If I give all my possessions to God’s work of feeding the poor; and if I die a martyr’s death.
Though it cost me everything, as well as my life; if love for Jesus is not the reason I do it; then it profits me nothing.
I am none the better, for eternity, for it.
1 Corinthians 12:31 “But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet show I unto you a more excellent way.”
The “more excellent way” is to love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. The first and greatest commandment.
1 Corinthians 13:13 ” And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”
To truly love God is the greatest work, greatest gift, greatest sound we can do.
And if we truly get to know the Lord, it is also the sweetest thing we can do. To love Him, who gave so much for me.
Gives so much to me, everyday, when I need Him.
And will give me a home with Him, forever.
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 