"If
I give away all I have...but do not have love, I gain nothing."
This is what Paul, the apostle of Jesus, said in his letter to some
Christians in a place called Corinth. I've been thinking about these
words lately because I'm involved in a ministry that has a focus on
helping people, especially those who are homeless and considered
poor. I've been thinking about motives- why we do what we do. Do I
help someone because it makes me feel good inside? I suppose if that
was purely my motive, then I would be acting out of selfishness. I do think we should feel good inside
when we help people, I'm just not so sure it's a helpful motive. The
Holy Spirit says through Paul that without love as our motive, then
our good deeds are meaningless. Paul goes on to tell us what love is
and what it looks like. We quickly learn in the bible that the love
that is being talked about is a special kind of love. It's not a
superficial sentimentality, but a deep love that can only come from
God and by being connected to him.
For
someone who follows Jesus, our motive should be a love for him and
for others. But how do we tap into this love? Everyone knows you
can't force love. Jesus once said that those who have been forgiven
much, love much. And those who have been forgiven little, love
little. This has provided an answer for me. It is only when I am
gripped by the depth of the evil in me that Jesus has forgiven that I
am overwhelmed by his love and consequently a love for him and for
others. I realize this is not a fashionable message in our culture of
self adoration, but I do find it compelling. I wonder how many
Christians are acting out of mere duty. C.S. Lewis once said, "Duty
is only a substitute for love (of God and of other people) like a
crutch which is a substitute for a leg." I realize that we are
not perfect and definitely do need the crutch of duty at times, but
God's pervasive love should be the overarching motivation in all we
do. May we be gripped by God's wonderful forgiveness and consequently
filled with his love that overflows to those around us.
Philip Appleby
Director of Programming and Spiritual Care
Outflow Ministry
Philip Appleby
Director of Programming and Spiritual Care
Outflow Ministry
