02/08/2010

Tell Me About Love - Part V - Gifts Used in Love

In our next lesson we will begin spending a little time addressing each of the action words of love that Paul gave us in 1 Corinthians 13, because it is important to know if we are to truly demonstrate God. We must consider that no one is able to see God for themselves, so we are the only “God” they will see. John assured us of this. This means that if we love in the right way we will show what God looks like, but if we do not love in the right way we distort God. So love must be understood in the right manner.

If we examine these actions correctly we must begin at the start of this chapter. In 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 Paul writes:

¹ 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. ² 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. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Many of us have incredible gifts. Some can teach, others can play a musical instrument, some fix cars, just to name a few. God has blessed all of us with gifts, including spiritual gifts. Paul even gives us a list of some of these gifts in 1 Corinthians 12. 1 Corinthians 12:8-10:

⁸ To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, ¹⁰ to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.

These gifts are vital tools that God uses to advance His kingdom. They are used to not only demonstrate the power of God, but to give each of us an active role in forcefully advancing the Kingdom of God. It is through these gifts that we find our usefulness.

Unfortunately many of us have removed our ability to advance the Kingdom, because we have used our gifts in an unloving way. What I mean by this is that we have used it for selfish means, only caring what we want and not caring about what others may desire or need.

I don't care what kind of spiritual gift one may have, it can be abused. I know some who have the gift of healing; not just healing in a physical way, but healing mentally, emotionally or in relationships. They are very blessed to be able to help others who are suffering. The problem is that they are using this for their own benefit by profiting off of it.

Now let me explain this further. If you have gifts,God is not against you being provided for by this gift. A pastor doesn't work for free. A teacher doesn't teach for free. So a healer should not heal for free either. But what I am speaking of is the excess that some receive as a result of the gift that God gives them.

I take someone like Benny Hinn as an example. I don't know if he really can heal or not. He claims that he can, so I will take him at his word. Hinn travels all over the world “healing” people, but often his healing comes with great cost. He expects people to give him thousands of dollars to heal them. Does he need thousands of dollars to heal? Well, to live in a huge house, have expensive cars, and travel elegantly he does, but not to do the work of God. He takes a massive excess for something that he did nothing to cause to happen – it was totally God, yet he takes in a vast amount for himself.

Paul specifically addresses those who use tongues. He states that if they are used without love they are like a clanging cymbal. Unfortunately, I hear clanging cymbals used far in excess of love. Most, not all, but most use tongues in a way to look more anointed than others. They teach that they are filled with the Holy Spirit because they can speak in tongues, or they try to make others feel bad about their position with God because the others don't speak in them. This is not love, no matter how it is professed to be. It is boastful.

It is also not love to desire this gift if you do not have it. This is envy. This is where many are falling short as well. They see a gift, like tongues, and think it is really cool, and so they want that gift for themselves, often buying into false teachings to be able to “obtain” this gift. But this would be envy, which is not based on love, and thus their desire for the gift is unloving as well.

Knowledge is a place of great hubris if one lets it become so. There are so many that have studied and could tell you some of the most amazing things you could ever imagine, but they have no love in them at all. They use their knowledge to belittle and criticize others. This is not love, and thus they have nothing.

To appreciate the actions of love we must understand how we can use our gifts to further these actions. To do this we must learn what our motivations are. Why do we feel we need to use these gifts? How will our use of these gifts benefit that person? How will it benefit us? These are good questions that help us to see if our gifts should even be used.

Take for example the gift of knowledge. In many cases we have knowledge that can help a person to get him or herself back on the right pathway or to change that person's life in a positive way. Do we always provide this information in this way? No. Sometimes we use it to belittle or to say “I told you so.” Other times we may share the information with others to gossip and hurt the other person.

I think of times when I dated someone that my friends disapproved of. They were happy to tell me of their disapproval, and when it failed they were ecstatic to explain how they were right in their knowledge, and how I should have just listened to them. Was any of this said in love? Of course not, and so it was useless.

I am not saying that people are always going to take the words or actions you use and embrace them whole-heartedly, but when they are said in love they afford a greater opportunity for success.

As we discuss these actions of love that Paul describes it is important that we consider them in terms of how we can apply them, especially using the gifts that God has given us.