Missionary View of I Corinthians 13
<I am thankful for my pastor, Wayne Cofield and his leadership and love in my life. He sent me the following and I thought you would enjoy it as well.
If I speak with the tongues of nationals and of senior missionaries and have not the love that grips men’s hearts, I am nothing. If I have great administrative ability and am proficient in up to date methods, yet have not the touch of understanding life, it profits nothing.
If I understand all doctrines and customs so as to effectively conduct argument and debate, but have not the note of genuine love, what good does it do?
If I have faith to remove mountains of red tape and obstinate government officials, and have not love, I gain nothing.
If my faith is coupled with great ideals and magnificent plans, yet lacks the love that weeps and prays and pleads, it accomplishes nothing.
If I give no end of money to assist the poor, yet have not the love that invites them into my home, I am nothing.
If I surrender all prospects and ambitions, and leave home and friends and comfort to give myself to the sacrifice of a missionary career, only to turn sour and selfish amid the daily annoyances and personal slights of a missionary’s life, my going is of little value.
If I give my body to be consumed in the tropical heat of some distant land and have not the love that yields its rights, its coveted leisure, its privacy, its pet plans, I am nothing.
If I can heal all manner of sickness and disease, but wound hearts and hurt feelings for want of love that is kind, it profits nothing.
If I write books and articles, yet fail to translate the word of the Cross into the language of love, I am nothing.
Love is patient and kind to fellow missionaries; love is not envious of another’s things; love does not boast of many meetings, is not inflated with pride.
Does not become arrogant to fellow workers; does not insist on its own methods; is not provoked by trying personalities; takes no thought of self.
Rejoices not in the shortcoming of others, but rejoices in their triumph.
Bears all the hardships of life; believes even when everything goes wrong; hopes in the `hopeless’ situations; endures through everything.
Love never fails. As for administrative abilities, they shall fail, as for language schools, they shall cease; as for beautiful equipment, it shall vanish away.
For now we know missionary principles imperfectly, and we practice them imperfectly. But when perfection comes, these imperfections will pass away. When I was a child, my talk was childish, my thoughts were childish, my reasoning was childish; but when I became a missionary, I was supposed to have laid aside childish ways.
Now we see God’s nature and ways very dimly, but then face to face; now my knowledge is imperfect, but then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
Now abide evangelism, premillennialism and love, these three, but the greatest of these is love.
If you enjoyed this post, leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
I found your site on google blog search and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. Just added your RSS feed to my feed reader. Look forward to reading more from you.
- Randy Nichols.