First Corinthians 13 is a chapter in the New Testament that is not understood nearly as well as people think. It’s called the “Love Chapter” of the Bible. But here’s the deal, people usually read it out of context. Context is the most important tool to be used for understanding the scriptures. At least that’s my opinion. Now, if you begin reading at the end of 1 Corinthians 12:31, that would be a great place to start. That’s where Paul says, “I will show you a still more excellent way.” This is a good place to begin, because chapter 13 is “the more excellent way” that the apostle had in mind.
Here’s my point for today’s blogpost. If you and I are trying to do life in the most effective and excellent way, doesn’t it make sense to “go after” life within the context of love, like Paul says. Because without it, according to the Message paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, “If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.” You can have it all, but if it’s without love, it’s nothing, zero, zilch, zippo, a goose egg.