 A pastor tells a story about his professor in seminary. In class one day he gave his students a challenge. He had one of the students read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 out loud to the class. 4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable; it keeps no record of wrongs; 6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. After she had read those verses to the class, the professor said to the students, “Now replace the word ‘love’ with your first name.”
In my case it would read Travis is patient; Travis is kind; Travis is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude… and so on. Then he told the class “As you read through this with your first name, take note of which ones seem the least true right now. There’s a good chance that those are the things God wants to work on in your life.” It is a powerful lesson for us all. If it is impatient, unkind, envious, boastful, proud, dishonoring, self-seeking, easily angered, always keeps a list of wrongs, it is probably not from Jesus. If it doesn’t protect, is always suspicious, sees no light at the end of the tunnel, gives up at any inconvenience, it’s probably not the kind of love he invites us to embody. If it’s all about numbers but have not love, “we are only a loud gong or clanging cymbal.” If it’s all about the accomplishments in our lives, but have not love, “we are nothing.” If we earn all the pats on the back and receive all the accolades, but have not love, “we gain nothing.” For God, love isn’t just a verb. Love is the noun God is. Love isn’t just a verb we do; it is the noun we become. Out theology is only as good as the love it produces. They will know us by our love. (John 13:35) Peace, Travis Segar, Pastor for Care and Community
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