1 Corinthians 12-14 “The Litmus Test”

As I write today’s date, I think about what happened twenty years ago on September 11th. Those of us who are old enough remember where we were and what we were doing when we first heard the news. The unthinkable had occurred: foreigners had invaded our American soil, using our own planes as weapons! We were horrified and humbled. Suddenly we realized that we were vulnerable and people hated us. Those of us who were Christians felt that these attacks on our Pentagon and World Trade Center were spiritually significant. It was a blow to our military and economic pride, but God allowed it for a reason. At first the churches were full with people hungry for answers. But that spirit quickly wore off, and people returned to life as usual. Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq came as a response against our enemies.

As we think back over the last twenty years, are we better off now than we were then?

• As a nation, are we more or less righteous? (Proverbs 14:34)
• As a church, are we more or less fruitful? (John 15:5)
• As individuals, are we more or less loving? (John 15:12)

1 Corinthians 13 calls us to self-examination. If we have not love, we are nothing (v. 2). What is love?

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. (1 Corinthians 13:4–7, NLT)

Our nation is divided. Our churches have become battlegrounds for opposing opinions. Words have become hostile and harsh. But what is God calling us to? The above verses tell us. God is love, and He commands us to love. Without love, everything else we do is nothing.

I don’t know about you, but I find enough in these four verses to challenge me for a lifetime! Let us aim to be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving ourselves. (James 1:22)

1 Corinthians 12-14 Scripture Reading

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