Wednesday Words of Encouragement: Clanging Cymbals

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 ~

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not 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 a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames but have not love, I gain nothing.

I've known some very gifted people in my life time.  They have wonderful natural talent and everything they do seems to be successful.  Yet, according to these verses, without love, all the talent in the world means nothing.  The gifts mentioned in these verses are mostly external.  Speaking in tongues, prophecy, and faith that reveals itself in an outward action are all visible signs to those around us.

But even with all those wonderful gifts, we can be doing them without love. We can be doing them for show or for affirmation or pride. The thing that truly makes the difference is whether we are motivated by love.

As wives and mothers it can be true in our own homes too. We can put on our best face for people outside the family. Yet, our husband and children know if they are truly loved by us. They know our motives. They know the "real" us that we often try to hide to outsiders.

It's hard to look at ourselves objectively sometimes. I know I always like to believe I have great motives and desires. But sometimes I am acting without love.

All of these wonderful gifts or acts do not count if we are not doing them with the right motive. Let's ask the Lord to give us a heart full of His love for our husbands, children, extended family, neighbors and church family.

Let's work hard at not being clanging cymbals!