"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."
(I Corinthians 13:3)
We live in perhaps the most actively entrepreneurial time in history. Individual and corporate generosity are evident in every arena of life, including our high schools and colleges where community service hours are expected from students as a means of completing their educational experience. Paul reminds those who follow Christ, however, that generosity means little apart from love. That which motivates the generosity is as important as the gift itself.
John challenges the Christian to embrace the example of Christ who laid down his life for all. As a result, John encourages, "let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." Love motivates our actions, calling us, as it did Jesus, to the way of the cross. To give without love, even to sacrifice self, gains nothing.
In the end, Paul reminds us that faith, hope, and love remain...but the greatest of these is love.
Prayer: Eternal God, may love motivate our every gift...our every sacrifice, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, we pray. Amen.
Jim Abernathy
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