1 Corinthians 13:3

 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

 Welcome to day#3 of, LOVE FEAST.

How sweet it is to grow and develop in the love of God. Participating in this LOVE FEAST should increase your awareness of the love of God in your heart throughout the day. Because of your saturation and meditation in the Word of God, on the subject of love you should begin to notice a change in your inward and outward attitudes and behaviors. You will begin to notice a more God focused mentality and way of living. No more me, myself and I, living a life of self-focus, which promotes stagnation and spiritual growth retardation. Love promotes Holy Spirit led activity which produces abundant life. Where ever love goes healing, peace, deliverance, strength, joy, direction, power, etc.…………………… grows and flows!

Now in verse 3 of our studies today, Paul drives in the nail of revelation further as he paints a picture of the unprofitable works of man-made love. The works described in this verse are almost breath taking and seemingly filled with compassion. However, according to Paul these heroic deeds can be done without love being anywhere in sight. To give not just some of my goods but all my goods to fed the poor would require a person being full of love……………..one would think. The truth be told, people do things for different reasons and all of those reasons are not always to glorify God. When something is rooted, grounded and founded in the Love of God it will always glorify God, always. It is hard to imagine people giving there last for selfish purposes but they do. It is hard to imagine someone giving their body to be burned for selfish purposes but they do. A heart that is not controlled by love is generally motivated and influenced by this world which is corrupt and self centered. People do weird things to receive honor and acceptance from each other. Jesus said in John 5:41-44:

I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:3 that to do all these seemingly good works without love will be of no profit.

Profit defined:

• An advantage or benefit derived from an activity.

There is absolutely no advantage or benefit for me in doing anything outside of love. It is empty labor. People may praise you but God sees not as man sees, God looks on the heart. Faith pleases God and faith works by love.

No love+ no faith= no pleasing God. Know love + know faith= know pleasing God.

 Our life’s focus should be to please God. Love influences us to always put God first, He is our High Priority! HE IS OUR FIRST LOVE !

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? (John 8:36)

Nurturing Nuggets blog is an extension of Cathy Harris Ministries. Visit our web-site @ www.detoxifyingthesoul.com

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.

 Today is day #2 of our 13 day LOVE FEAST journey.

 I had such a wonderful time experiencing the awesome power of day #1, verse 1, on yesterday it was simply marvelous. Nothing compares to the joys of partaking of concentrated hefty heaping of God’s Word, it fills and satisfies like no other food on earth. It is indeed comfort food for the spirit, soul and body. It leaves no room for artificial fillers.

 As we continue on our journey through 1Corinthians 13:1-13, Paul stays focus on his path to chisel away at the corrupt root of self-righteous love in order that he may plant and build a firm foundation on the true love of God. Paul reminds us here that without love we are nothing. It doesn’t matter the impressive show of gifts and talents one may possess and display before others, they are all meaningless without love.

 The list of qualities and giftings Paul mentioned in this verse would have one immediately think, “Well how can a person have such powerful giftings but have not charity? I like the way the Amplified Bible Translation of “I am nothing”. It says, “… but have not love (God’s love in me) I am nothing (a useless nobody).”

 Love is the greater and without it we are useless to the work of God and His Kingdom. Love brings life and purpose to all these gifts, without love they are meaningless and self motivated not seeking to give God the glory. Love is a fruit of the spirit that is imparted to every born-again believer in Christ, according to Romans 5:5. Love is in us but we must yield to its control, we must let it be an active part of every part of our lives. Love in us is kind of like sugar you add to a package of Kool-Aid. When you added the sugar you stirred it well to mix it thoroughly with the Kool-Aid so that when you drink the Kool-Aid mixture it bringings great delight to your taste buds. However, if you let the Kool-Aid mixture sit in the refrigerator for a couple days without actively stirring it all the sugar will sink to the bottom of the pitcher, separating the two substances leaving you with a bitter tasting solution. The sugar was still in the pitcher but it was not actively mixed with the Kool-Aid therefore it could not effective do its job; the drink was useless or tasteless. Well we have love in our heart but if we just let it sit there and never activate it or only activate it every now and then many things that flow out of our lives are useless or tasteless. The Kool-Aid in and of its self is not a bad thing but it was made to have sugar added. The gifts that Paul mentioned in this verse were created to have love added otherwise they are incomplete or useless. We are born-again believer’s created to have love added otherwise we too are useless nobodies. Love sweetens the life of the believer.

 So be sweet to all you meet by stirring up the love in your heart daily.

Nurturing Nuggets blog is an extension of Cathy Harris Ministries, visit our web-site @ www.detoxifyingthesoul.com

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.

For the next 13 days I will be taking us through a journey in 1 Corinthians 13, one verse a day. I call this a LOVE FEAST. Each day we will explore, with the help of the Holy Spirit, the love of God that has been given to us to live by. These truths were put here in the bible for us to help us grow and mature in His love.

Today let us begin with verse 1. Love speaks and it has a distinct language. It has a particular sound.

I thought it very interesting that Paul by the Holy Spirit started out this love feast talking to us about our speech or our words. Many may think what does that have to do with love, well; evidently it is of high priority. The origin of our words are very important, now I am not speaking of whether the word is Greek, Hebrew or Latin, I am referring to their spiritual origin. What kingdom was it sent from: darkness or light? Jesus reminds us in scripture that the words He spoke were not His own words but the words of the Father which sent Him.

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13:1. Though I speak with the tongues or we can say languages of men and of angels. Now, I had to ask the Holy Spirit about the language of angels. He reminded me that when angels were seen in scripture speaking to others they were most always speaking the words of God. Angels are defined as messengers sent from God. Now we know that when God sends someone they are generally sent to speak the words that He sent them to say. Well if this be true, and I believe it is, then Paul was saying though you are speaking God’s word, right out of the bible but don’t possess God’s love you become just an echo or empty, vain sound. Words that are not born out of love just sound like meaningless noise coming out of your mouth because they have no place in your heart. Without love these words have no root and nothing to make them fruitful or life producing.

Have you ever sat down to eat a meal and the table was set very pretty and everything looked just right and the food presentation was wonderful and very appealing to the sight but when you put it in your mouth the taste was very disappointing. By all appearance it should have been very palatable but turned out to be very tasteless. The main ingredient was missing. Love is the main ingredient of any word sent forth from God. Someone can pick up a bible and start reading or quoting it, however that does not necessarily activate its power. The love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit is what activates the power of the Word, it’s a Divine Connection. That which is spiritual cannot be activated by that which is carnal, unbelieving or ungodly, there’s no connection. The words maybe the same but when they are spoken they sound like mere noise coming from the mouth of those who have become as sounding brass and tinkling symbols. They are instruments which lack substance. They are hollow and unpleasant to the hearing.

Now notice Paul said we become sounding brass, indicating there was a progression. Other words similar to become are: turn out to be, turn into, develop into, be converted into, grow to be, and happen to. Wow, that really helps us to see that it happened over time. A little here and a little there, we begin to nullify love’s power in our live’s  through words. Our words should be saturated with the warm genuine breath of love.

And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold, Matthew 24:12. The word wax is translated grow in other bible translations.

Oh, my we must press in and pursue this love so that we will not be those who grow cold or become sounding brass.

NURTURING NUGGETS BLOG IS AN EXTENSION OF CATHY HARRIS MINISTRIES @ www.detoxifyingthesoul.com