There Is nothing greater than love except God because God is love!
1 John 4:8: “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”
1 Corinthians 13;13: “But the greatest of these is love.”
The question is: how great is the love of God in us?
Love is the principle doctrine of the three abiding truths which are faith, hope, and love.
1 Corinthians 13:1: “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.”
Speaking in tongues is not forbidden in the New Testament church (1 Corinthians 14:39), whether it be the tongues of men or of angels. However, in the church it must be interpreted, otherwise it is out of order. But even if we have a powerful gift of speaking in tongues and yet are not exercising the fruit of love we are as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.
Every gift must be exercised from a heart that is filled with the love of Christ otherwise it will not profit the giver or hearer.
1 Corinthians 13:2; “And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.”
Prophecy is a great gift because it edifies the church, but if the individual who prophesies is not filed with the love of God it prophets them or the hearers nothing.
Jonah was told to go and prophecy to the people of Nineveh. However, he was definitely not filled with the love of God. He had no love at all for the people of Nineveh. He wanted them to be destroyed and God did not reward him for his failure to love, even though he was miraculously delivered from spending three days and three nights in the belly of a whale.
Because of this Jonah became a prophetic sign of Christ’s death and resurrection.
Jesus said in Matthew 12:40, 41: “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and , behold, a greater than Solomon is here.”
To be filled with wisdom and to understand all mysteries and knowledge would be a very powerful gift and could draw crowds of people desperately seeking answers to their problems and important questions. However, from God’s perspective, it would profit the individual nothing if not motivated by the love of God that is shed abroad in the believer’s heart (Romans 5:5). Such a gift, though given by God’s love could easily promote pride.
The user of the gift must at all times give all the glory to God and seek to be always filled with God‘s love. Otherwise this powerful gift will profit him nothing.
Jesus Christ made it very clear that the supernatural gifts give us no credence, nor do they give us God’s acceptance or reward.
Although supernatural gifts of God will attract people’s attention and people will flock to be blessed by these gifts, they can only bring reward to the stewards of these gifts if they operate in the love of God.
I am most certainly not downplaying any of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but merely saying that every steward of every gift must make sure the fruit of love is flowing from their lives.
Be encouraged.
Colin Campbell