Digging Deeper – The Only Way to Win
1 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:1-7 (NLT)
THE ONLY WAY TO WIN
There is a scene in the movie Elf (if you will indulge a Christmas movie reference here on the cusp of summer) where Buddy, the protagonist of the movie, is walking around New York City when he sees a neon sign in a window that reads “World’s Best Cup of Coffee.” Buddy immediately turns back, walks into the diner, and says, “Congratulations, you did it!” while everyone in the restaurant stares blankly at him. In Buddy’s childlike perception, he believes the sign, but we know it is just an advertising ploy.
We live in a world where winning matters. Everyone wants to be the best at whatever they are doing. I play games with middle schoolers often; they want to win no matter what we are playing! I have heard serious arguments over a foul ball in a kickball game where the only prize was winning, and for them and many of us, winning matters!
In the passage above, Paul describes someone the world would say is a winner by any measurement. The person is an intellectual polyglot who can speak with angels. They know what God is planning. They can perform miraculous acts. They give things to people in need and will do whatever for others. If you need an organ, they are your donors! This person scores on every measurement. But Paul explains that the final score needs one more calculation. Add all these things together and subtract love, and your final answer is zero, nothing! Anything minus love becomes valueless. Just doing things without loving the people is like putting a sign in the window that says “World’s best cup of coffee.” It’s meaningless – or worse – it is deceptive. Love is what gives our actions meaning.
Take time to pray and ask God to show you the area in your life where everyone would say you are “winning,” but you have missed out on the love. Ask God for help injecting his love into everything you do.
Chris Boggess is the Next Generation/Family Pastor at NorthStar Church. He grew up in St. Albans, West Virginia, and still cheers for the Mountaineers. He and his wife, Heather, have two grown children and one granddaughter.