The Greatest of These is Love

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If You Love Someone Build Them Up, You Don’t Know Enough To Put Them Down!
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 8:1 (NRSV)
Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.

Devotion:
            I have noticed a trend in modern Christianity. It is a tendency to seek more and more knowledge. If you have a Bible Study you can count on a crowd. If the teacher is well known and a charismatic speaker the better the crowd will be. At the same time I have noticed that discernment among Christians about what they are being taught has fallen to an all time low. As a result more Christians are learning things that are less and less useful to their Christian walk and sometimes even damaging to it.
            In order to determine what things are truly useful for Christians to invest their time in learning during Bible Studies I think the scripture above will point us in a good direction. When I was in seminary I delivered a sermon in chapel encouraging the students to study their Greek, Hebrew and other academic classes very hard and learn the content well. But I could not help but mention that the one thing that would equip them in the best way for ministry was love.
            Using Paul’s great chapter on love in 1 Corinthians chapter 13, I urged them to do everything in a spirit of love. (Even learning Greek!) I urged them to teach their congregations how to love one another so that they could be recognized as disciples of Jesus. I reminded them of what Jesus taught was the greatest commandment: “To love the Lord their God with all of their being, and to love their neighbor as themselves”. This is the point of all the law and the prophets as Jesus said.
            It pains me to see teachers focus on how great their teaching is. Relying on their vast resume’s and intelligence does not produce the humility of spirit and does not help them generate a teaching that truly focuses on the love of Christ. I love Jesus and I love all who teach in his name I only wish that they could stay focused like a laser beam on increasing God’s love among God’s people. What a difference we all together could make for the advancement of the kingdom of God.

Prayer:
Lord I pray that all Christians would learn to listen to teachers who increase their love for you. Esoteric knowledge makes the learner feel good, but leaves the soul empty and full of pride. Grant us all a desire to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. Encourage us with teachers who will help us to love our neighbor as ourselves. In Jesus Name, Amen

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