“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” 1 Corinthians 13:1 ESV.
Reflection: do you know Jesus? Does he know you?
I was reading an article on LinkedIn the other day that caught my attention. It was from a career coach, Nick S., who opened with the following:
I don’t care how polished your resume looks. I don’t care how many referrals you have. I don’t care how many years of experience you’ve got. All I need to know is:
→ How do you treat other people?
→ Do you care more about others or just yourself?
→ Can you listen when it matters?
→ Will you step up, even when it’s hard?
Skills can be taught. Attitude and heart can’t.
For many who have worked a long time, especially if you have hired and managed people, you know this is so very true. Nick is clearly touching on character, meaning what is actually driving a person. What is in our hearts. You can have the smartest, most skilled people also create some of the biggest problems for a group, causing internal division and chaos. And it mostly stems from an attitude, a heart filled with egoism and pride. Selfishness. Their own “excellence”, inward trust and belief in their own capabilities, is their downfall. At least among others, in a group setting.
We have looked briefly at some spiritual gifts in chapter 12. And Paul ends the chapter by the following conclusion: “But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.” 1 Corinthians 12:31 ESV. The next chapter, 13, is perhaps one of the most famous, most frequently cited chapters in all of Paul’s writings. Known as the “Love chapter”. It is used in many settings, but let’s remember the context of Paul’s writing here. He was talking about spiritual gifts. This is why he starts chapter 13 with “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 ESV. He is basically saying that the spiritual gifts, faith, actions, mean nothing if they are not grounded in the right heart, the right character.
You might remember Jesus saying the following, which has puzzled and concerned many, ““Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” Matthew 7:21-23 ESV. This goes back to our opening question, reflection, whether Jesus knows us. Whether we have actually surrendered to him and received him, so that he can start transforming us to be more and more like himself. So how can we know if Jesus is “present”, if he knows us?
In the Love chapter, Paul outlines some of the characteristics of love, which really is characteristic of Jesus himself.
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a ESV
Now let’s do a brief, two step exercise. First, reread these verses, replacing where it says “love” or “it” with “Jesus”. You will see some of his characteristics. Any of these surprise you about Jesus? Second, reread the verses once more, but this time replace love using with your own name. Are these characteristics others see in you? Does it represent you? This will tell what work Jesus has been allowed to do in you. How well he knows you. Paul is helping us to understand that, unless the foundation in our lives is Jesus, everything else is worthless. Is like a house built on sand. It will eventually fall, whether in this life or the next.
If you have not surrendered fully to Jesus, do it today. Let him in. Let him know you and transform you.