– What resource should churches have more of than any other type of organization?
– What type of resource has the power to change lives and yet costs nothing at all?
– What resources are promised to us as we allow God to work in us?
“Love is patient, love is kind” is the introduction to a famous chapter of the bible, 1 Corinthians 13, which we have already covered and has been preached many times over two thousand years. And yet those six introductory words are enough to say “let’s pause right there and unpack that some more.”
First, let’s remember where love comes from. Love is not something that we manufacture. Love is not something that happens as a result of our own effort. No, all love comes from God because God IS love. In fact 1 John 4:8 and 16 tell us that if we don’t love it’s because we aren’t plugged into God, and we don’t really know who God is.
So 1 Corinthians 13 eloquently describes for us what love looks like. Okay, so love is patient and love is kind. These are attributes that can be felt by the recipient, and 1) given the context in which they occur, 2) the measure in which they are given, and 3) the manner in which they are displayed, they may immediately know that you are a follower of Christ. (John 13:35) But moreover, hopefully this act of love will soften their heart so that they can actually experience the love of God through you!
Second, it has been said many times in many ways by many secular people that “all you need is love” to change a person’s life or to change the world. Do we, as the bearers of God’s love, believe it? Do we act like it?
Third, not only does love have the power to change the world, but these expressions of love, patience and kindness, are absolutely free. In Galatians 5:22, they are promised to be fruits of the Holy Spirit that are produced in us as we abide in the vine of Jesus Christ (John 15:5). You cannot cause the fruit to grow by your own effort. Who is the creator that plants the orchard, brings the sun and the rain, and causes the trees to grow? It’s not you, it’s God! Who is the gardener that prunes the branches and cultivates the fruits of the Holy Spirit? It’s not you, it’s God!
So what is your part to play? It is to remain rooted in God, allow Him to work in your life, and allow the Holy Spirit to use that fruit to nourish the people that so desperately need to experience the healing power of God’s love (Revelation 22:2).
If people/churches realized that we have access to the never-ending supply of God’s love, that patience, kindness, and all of the fruits of the Spirit are free and abundant, they would become our number one resource and should guide our strategy on how to fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19). Our supply is high and the demand is high, in the business world that means the likelihood for success is high. All we need to do is deliver the goods to the customer. And that is our part to play in his-story.
– Pastor Nate
