Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
This comes at the end of Paul's letter to the church in Corinth, a really messy letter, because the church in Corinth had a lot of problems that Paul was addressing. By the time he gets to the end of the letter, he has these sort of rapid-fire commands that he lists off. It is a great combination of commands and qualities that he's encouraging in the believers that are reading this letter. "Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong." Then he says, "Do everything—do all of that with love."
Courage and Love
He's advocating for courage. He's advocating for standing strong in your faith. He's advocating for being ready to defend, being ready to fight for the faith and for holiness. But then he gives that qualification: "But make sure that all of that, that you are doing, all of that—you're doing everything in love."
It's the same thing in Ephesians chapter 4 when he boils it down to—you remember that verse—"Speak the truth." How? "Speak the truth in love." That matters. That really matters because you can't have one or the other. If you have strength without love, then that just becomes hard and harsh. On the other side, if you have courage without love, it becomes combative. If you have conviction without love, it becomes pride.
We Need Both
We need to have both. If you have love without strength, then that's just sentimental and weak. Again, Paul is advocating for both. We need to think of a father who is correcting his child, or maybe a friend who is confronting another friend that's under some sort of destructive habit. Real love is not going to avoid having a difficult and hard conversation, but also, love is not going to weaponize the truth. What does it do? It stands firm and speaks tenderly to the one you love, the one whose best interest you have in mind.
Especially Needed Now
I think this is especially needed in a time like this, because it's really easy for us to be loud without being loving, and it's easy for us to be very polite and yet have no substance to what we say. We need to be steady. We need to be courageous with our faith and all of that in love.
Charles Spurgeon once said, "A little faith will bring your soul to heaven. A great faith will bring heaven to your soul." To stand firm in the faith is not merely to survive, to get by until heaven. It is to live now with a settled confidence in Christ. That settled confidence in Christ, it changes how you speak. It changes how you suffer. It changes how you lead. It changes how you love.
Where Do You Need This Verse?
Where do you need this verse today? You would know better than I would. Do you need to wake up and be watchful? Do you need to stand firm where you're not standing firm? Is there something you need to face that requires courage and strength? Does all of that need to be shaped by love? It does.
