📖 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NET - "If I speak...but I do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have...but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give...but do not have love, I receive no benefit."
You may have heard it said that "the end justifies the means", but with God actions are justified by motives. It's not enough to just go through the motions in whatever we do, and God is not pleased when our motives are selfish or seeking to please men; they must meet God's standard to be counted for anything at all. And in order to help us align our motives to God's approved standards, we have what I refer to as an "Acid Test", elucidated by the Holy Spirit in our verses for today.
According to these verses, everything and anything we do for others that is not love-motivated amounts to nothing; we might as well have not done it at all. Love must be our motive's compass, our heart's guage, to guide us in our relationship with others. And as long as that God-kind-of-love described in this chapter is the reason behind our actions, such actions don't have to be perfect or lofty, they will always fulfill their purpose, because love never fails (1Cor 13:8).
Friends, the only way we can receive any benefit from our actions towards others is to ensure that they are motivated by love. So the next time you reach out to others, double check that love is the reason behind it all.
🙏 Father thank you for the love you had for me that motivated you to send your son to take my place of death and give me life everlasting. Help me to order my actions aright, motivated only by love always. In Jesus name I pray, amen.