I Corinthians 13

     If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.  If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
     
     Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

     Love never fails.  But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.  For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.  When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.  For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.  Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

     And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love.  But the greatest of these is love.

I Corinthians 13 (NIV)


     When someone writes likes like Paul did in I Corinthians he is truly inspired by the hand of God.  This is the one of those Biblical chapters that must be mandatory reading for any couple married or considering marriage.  They must devote themselves fully to this.  They must serve one another through this passage.  They must become one in love.
 
     This is one of the most beautiful Biblical passages by a person other than our Lord Jesus himself. Surely, It was a letter transcribed by Paul as Jesus sat beside him dictating.  You hear and see our Lord in every word, in every phrase. 

Anyone In There?

     As I, the world-renowned writer, sits down at his desk to an earth-shaking applause by thousands of my adoring fans, a cloud of dirt rises over the windswept plains.  Oops, back on course.  I lay the pen and paper on my desk and begin to think and compose my masterpiece.  I feel my head shake as this celebrated mind takes to the compository task like a super computer.  Hmmm...is compository a real word?  I'll look that up.

     Oh look, there is that ink eraser I thought was lost laying there on the floor by my foot.  Ewww, boy, my toe nails need trimming.  Wonder why girls paint their toe nails?

 

     Look out!  Here comes the opening line.  Bert was not the Bert of Sesame Street fame.  Bert was the debonair garbage man, attracting followers like his trash attracted flies.  That's really stupid.

     I need to check my emails.  Nothing has come in during the last five minutes.  Guess at three o'clock in the morning not many people are sending emails.  Surely, the President sends emails at weird times.  Frank Wilson sent me an email a while back at...no, that was during the day.

     This pen is out of ink.  Darn!  That's really funny.  I'm writing about the subject of Pen and Paper and my pen's out of ink.  I know there's a pen in this desk somewhere.  Look, there is that Elmers Glue I was looking all over for.  Ahhh, a pen that works.  I like this one.  It feels good between the fingers.

     Okay, let's go.  Pen and paper in hand, the writer, appalled by the thought of the meaninglessness of life...  Would a writer have both the pen and paper in his hands while he wrote?  Surely, not.

    Hello...anybody in there?  My mind is too cluttered.  Get on track, please.

           

     Let's see, the...pen is mightier than the sword.  How in the world do I bring in the paper?

     I know.  I need a cup of coffee.

 

     Boy, this sure is good coffee.  Wonder where she bought this?  I bet it is morning in Columbia, and they are picking those little coffee beans.  I wonder if Juan Valdez is a real person?

     On task!  The cannon balls were crashing into the walls of the already half-demolished house as the man took pen and paper to write a heartfelt goodbye to his dearest wife.  Knowing he had only moments to live, Alberto Ramirez put pen to paper writing...  Writing what? 

     Don't panic.  This happens every time.  Once you hit the mark, you're in, and the writing flows like warm butter.  Mmmm...hot pancakes with melted butter and syrup sounds so good right about now.

     The rooster will crow before I get this one started.  Poor Peter.  I know I would not have done any better had I been in his place.  He became such a courageous disciple after that.

     This CD is really good.  Our church choir and orchestra should go on tour.

     With a mere pen and paper, a person can turn the tide in favor of our Lord.  With a mere pen and paper, a person can shout out to the world what blessings our Lord has bestowed upon them, changing the lives of many people.  Those people may influence and shape the lives of hundreds...maybe thousands.  Get the Good News to one, and it creates a ripple effect on the sea of life.  I believe Jesus was the Word in human form.  He was the person dropped into the sea of life by God to create the first ripples.

     You start with an average carpenter's son.  Within a short period of ministry, the ripple has started.  It has expanded out over thousands of years.  The entire world knows the name of that carpenter's son, Jesus. 

     After the short sojourn of Jesus, the word being written and, eventually,  being formed into a book became the next greatest step in spreading the good news.  No other written word has ever been reproduced in such astounding numbers over the history of mankind.  No other spoken words have been quoted as often and reproduced in such astounding numbers as those spoke by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

     When God wills something, there are no locked doors before him.  The pen and paper are one of the mightiest instruments for spreading the Good News ever devised.  We must make good use of that power to glorify his name.  To our Father goes all the glory.

What Not Why?

     I, personally, and many others so often ask, "Why?"  I am talking about Christians.  Misfortune is set upon them and they ask: why me, why this, why that, why, why, why.  It is a serious affliction in any person, but in a Christian...so wrong.

     As a Christian, we should be asking, "What?"  In other words, what is it that you need me to do for you Father?  Scripture assures us that we will face trials and tribulations in this imperfect world, especially as a Christian.  Yet we pray so often like we deserve a new car, a big fancy home, money, money, money.  Stop!

     What we need to pray for are stronger backs.  I do not know about you, but my Lord has spoiled me.  He gives all that I really need and much more.  Yet my service to him pales in comparison to what he has given me and how he served me on that cross.  We moan and complain about our plight.  By whom and by what manner were we invested with this right to complain and ask for more?  Who are we to complain to a God that gave his only son to die a miserable, tortured death on that cold cross while being ridiculed.  What material riches did Jesus acquire while on this earth?   What wealth and fine living did he surround himself with?  We should be ashamed for asking, "Why?"

     ”Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."  Matthew 5:10 NIV

The Lord's Timing or Ours?

     We feel a great need for something in our lives.  A Christian should turn to prayer in that instance.  Often, they pray for the thing they think is needed.  A few hours or days pass, depending on the urgency of the situation, the solution does not appear.  They pray again for what they think is needed.  Blindly and selfishly many times the person waits for what they think is needed.  If it does not show up on their schedule and the solution is not what they believe is needed, then the belief is that God has said no or does not care or maybe he doesn't hear.

     When one asks God for help, remember who you are speaking with.  You are talking to God Almighty, himself.  Have faith.  He has informed us through Jesus Christ in Matthew 6:8 NIV, "...for your Father knows what you need before you ask him."  The key here is God knows what you need...you do not.  We are as newborn children by comparison to our Holy Father.   Do not look for your solution.  Be open to God's solution, and, while you wait, keep Isaiah 40:31 NIV in your heart:  "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint."

           

    Also, keep in mind Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV in your wait, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

     Is this thing you await to increase your material wealth or is it something truly needed?  If this thing is needed to save yours or someone else's life, does He not know that before you prayed it?  Will he not act in time?  Have patience.  Look to Lamentations 3:25-26 NIV in scripture, "The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him.  It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord."

     As Christians, we are to serve the will of our Father.  If we are a glory to him, he shall bless us the more.  It is not about us or our needs.  We will be rewarded with eternal life for our sacrifices upon this earth in his name.  You may not always like the answer.  If we receive all that we desire upon earth, then we have already received our reward.  What need shall we have for eternal life with our Father?

      What is Timing?  According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, timing is the time when something happens or is done especially when it is thought of as having a good or bad effect on the result.  As humans, we have little control over timing of events though we imagine we do at times.  God, the creator of time, surely controls time and therefore timing.  Possibly, He times things in such a way as to be dramatic.  We are asking him a favor.  His timing, as is everything He does, is perfect.  It is we the imperfect human that cannot see that perfection.  That is where trust comes in.  Psalm 31:15 NIV, "My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hands of my enemies and from those who pursue me."

     Another good scripture to keep in mind Acts 1:7 NIV where Jesus, after his resurrection, is being questioned about God's timing of the restoration of his kingdom upon earth by the disciples, "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority."  Be Patient.  He hears and feels your every need. 

     If you have faith, you know He will answer your prayers with that which is needed.  Always give thanks.  I Corinthians 15:57 NIV, "But thanks be to God!  He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."  

     Many years ago in the United States, a bus company known as Greyhound Bus Lines had a commercial that said, "Take Greyhound and leave the driving to us."  As Christians, we should leave the driving to God.  In other words, trust him and relax...take it easy.  God is driving and we are in divine hands.

Gossip = Damage

     In Proverbs 26, one finds the biblical opinion of gossip and its end results.  We read that the intention of gossip is generally to hurt others while making the person telling it seem above it all.  Proverbs 26:20 NIV:  "Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down."  When we gossip, we are deepening the quarrel, making it worse.

 

     Gossip has started wars and brought down powerful people.  You can imagine what it can do to you.  What one of us has not been gossiped about?  Keep this in mind when you spread gossip about others:  you rarely pass on the gossip without adding wood to the fire with fresh tidbits of slander or debauchery. 

     Gossip hurts...that's its intention.  Proverbs 26:22 NIV states, "The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts."  They go deep inside the person aimed at causing great mental anguish.  Also, there is hate behind the gossip and Proverbs 26:28 NIV tells us "A lying tongue hates those it hurts..."

 

     Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe one of the foremost tenets of our Lord is to love, not hate.  Love without exception.  Lying?  Throw that one out of your house immediately.  Being a Christian is love, without condition, compassion without condition, forgiveness without condition, being a servant to your fellow man without condition...among all other good things.

    

     So, my fellow saint, when you gossip, how many teachings of our Lord Jesus are you going against?  I have only named a few, but one is too many.  Replace the negative hurt and hate of gossip with the positive of love that heals.  Luke 6:31 NIV:  "Do to others as you would have them do to you."  I end with Luke 6:41 NIV:  "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"  We all have the opportunity to practice the last passage every day.  Remember, being a good example glorifies our Father.