I Corinthians 13:1 ESV “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”
Some of you might have been a first time visitor here yesterday and thought who is this guy and why is he telling me that I need to make Jesus Lord of my life and obey His commandments. Just to briefly reemphasize the point from the last post, following Jesus does not open up negotiations for us. We can’t say I choose to do this, but not that. Jesus wants us to give our lives completely to Him. As I’ve mentioned before, it’s not like the bumper sticker that says, “God is my Co-pilot.” God doesn’t want to be Co-pilot, He wants to be the Pilot, He leads, we follow. It’s such an important message to understand, but a difficult one for us with a sinful nature to implement in our lives because we so frequently think we have things figured out, and I include myself in that group.
But why that message in the first place, in fact, why even do this blog? First and foremost, it’s through obedience that this site exists. We know that Jesus issued the Great Commission as a general call to us all in Mark 16:15 ESV, “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation” and we know that the Apostle Paul declared, “For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” I Corinthians 9:16 ESV Both are perfect examples of why I blog on this site, but at some point in our lives God may call us directly into His service and we must choose to answer His effectual call and that is the case here for me.
So you might be thinking “Yeah, yeah, God told you to write this blog, does that give you the right to tell me what to do?” Chief to my reply is that I have no rights, except through the authority of Scripture. However, the second reason why I write though is because, I am you. I know what it’s like to hold on to self; I know what it’s like to feel trapped and struggle; I know what it’s like to feel disconnected from God. But I’ve also seen the other side of the coin, of how if we come broken to God, not only will He heal, but He uplifts; not only does He restore, but He builds anew. Jesus is your Deliverer; He is mighty to save and there is no greater feeling than to know He loved each one of us so much that He gave His life, that if we just believe in Him, take up our cross and follow, He’ll reach down into whatever pit we’re in and raise us up. It’s with this love in mind that I write to chide, yet encourage; that I speak a wakeup call, yet speak as the voice of one woken up. The Apostle Paul says in I Corinthians 13:1 ESV, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” What he’s saying is it doesn’t matter what gifts he’s been given, if he doesn’t use them with love, they’re useless. It is with love that I pray the Word of God through this blog reaches the lost, the slumbering believers, or those that need encouragement in Christ. Since I can relate to you, I know there are times when I need a swift kick and other times when I need a compassionate hug. So while my tone may at times take that of a voice crying in the wilderness, “Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” Matthew 3:1-2 ESV At the same time I must ask like Paul did, “What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?” I Corinthians 4:21 ESV To answer Paul’s question, the motivation is always love, but sometimes it takes both.
