Useless Without Love

Hi friends, and thanks for joining us for today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. Our reading, titled Useless Without Love, was written by Lisa M. Samra. After taking the pieces from my special order table from the box and laying them out before me, I noticed something wasn't quite right. The beautiful top for the table and other parts were accounted for, but it was missing one of the legs. Without all of the legs, I couldn't assemble the table, rendering it useless.

It's not just tables that are useless when missing one vital piece. In the book of 1 Corinthians, Paul reminded his readers that they were missing one essential component. The believers possessed many spiritual gifts but lacked love. Using exaggerated language to emphasize his point, Paul wrote that even if his readers had all knowledge, if they gave away every single thing they owned, and even if they willingly suffered hardship, without the essential foundation of love, their actions would all amount to nothing. Paul encouraged them to always infuse their actions with love, movingly describing the beauty of a love that always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres. As we use our spiritual gifts, perhaps to teach, encourage, or serve in our own faith communities, remember that God's design always calls for love. Otherwise, it's like a table missing a leg.

It can't achieve the true purpose for which it was designed. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from 1 Corinthians chapter 13 verses 1 through 7. 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 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. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, it amazes us that you do everything in love. Help us learn to love like you. Thank you, Lord. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening today. My name is Alisha Reisinger, and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.