If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 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. If I give away all I have and if I deliver up my
body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. – 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. – 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
For Christians it can be really easy to start to focus on simply doing religious things. We can easily come to a point where we think that certain things we do will make us more pleasing in God’s sight. So, we
volunteer at church, and we give our weekly tithe, and we carry a big heavy Bible and maybe even read it a few times a week. We offer to teach a Bible class, give a communion meditation, or say a prayer. Maybe
we’ll even donate to a good cause or help a needy person. But sometimes we do these things with the wrong motives. That’s a problem.
See, if we do these things to make ourselves feel good, to look more religious or devoted than others, or to try to earn God’s favor, we’ve missed the point. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13, if love isn’t our
motivation, whatever we do is pointless!
All God has done for us is motivated by his love for us, and all we do should come from love for God and for other people.