The Main Ingredient

“If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

I made my husband a mocha latte the other day, but forget to put in the chocolate. That’s like making strawberry shortcake without the strawberries. You can’t leave out the main ingredient.  In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul teaches extensively on the gifts of the Spirit, but when he gets to chapter 13, he basically says, “Oh yeah. Don’t forget the main ingredient.” 

Without love you could speak all the languages of the earth and even the language of angels and you would just be making a bunch of noise. It’s love that drives prophecy, faith and giving. You can give everything you have to the poor, but if you didn’t love them you have gained nothing. 

Love is the main ingredient. Love is the thing that will be standing when everything else falls. Love is greater than even faith and hope. If we are to love as God loves, we must first love God. Jesus said that loving God should be our greatest priority. When you love God, loving others falls into line.

In his devotion entitled The Supreme Priority, Ray Stedman writes, “When you love God you awaken your capacity to love people.”

We can love the way God loves when we have experienced his love for ourselves. When we understand what it’s like to be loved by God, we can easily extend his love to those around us. His gifts flowing through us will have a greater impact if we don’t forget the main ingredient.