The Necessity for Love

I find it interesting that the one thing the secular and the Biblical world agree on is that we all need love. The magazine, Psychology Today, has many articles on the necessity of love for a human to be happy and well-adjusted. Doctors say that for the brain to develop properly that a child should have lots of love exhibited in many ways, but most important are the cuddles and the touching aspect of love. From birth to age 3 to 4, those without this kind of love suffer from improper brain development. The brain does not grow.  Billions of dollars have been spent to discover what God exhibited and told us from the beginning of time! We all need love!

Our passage of scripture for today is I Corinthians 13:1-3. I like the King James translation here where the word charity is used. It means love, but our society equates love with emotion and feelings. Love is much more than what we feel. Charity embodies our feelings with action.

Paul speaks to all the things that we may possess, and yet still miss what God intended for each of us to exhibit to one another, real love!

I Corinthians 1:3 “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.”

He begins with our words.   You can have all the flowery words but it is not worth anything if you don’t have proper love. People know if you have a genuine love for them. It will show in how you act toward them. If you say you love someone but don’t try to help them, you lie. True love and faith have action. When you see a need, love responds. Otherwise, your words mean NOTHING!

James 2:16 “And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?”

Next, Paul says that you can have all kinds of Biblical knowledge, knowledge of the sciences, and philosophies of life. You can have faith to remove mountains, and understand the mysteries of the Bible but have not love. Your words become a clanging annoying sound. It will be of no value to you. You are NOTHING!

I 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.” 

You can give up everything on this earth for the poor. Give your body as a sacrifice it still means nothing if it is not done out of love.

I 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.”

Love is essential to our well-being, both here and for the hereafter! Everyone needs love. Without love, there would be no cross and no salvation. We would be doomed to hell forever.

I found this story shared by Billy Graham years ago.

“A husband and wife visited an orphanage where they hoped to adopt a child. In an interview with the boy they wanted, they told him in glowing terms about the many things they could give him. To their amazement, the little fellow said, “If you have nothing to offer except a good home, clothes, toys, and the other things that most kids have-why, I would just as soon stay here.” “What on earth could you want besides those things?” the woman asked. “I just want someone to love me,” replied the little boy.”

So often we deceive ourselves into believing our words and deeds show that we have love but that is not entirely true. Sometimes our motives are self-serving even when we are helping others. It’s like the famous person that gives megabucks to help a poor community but does it only to make themselves look good in the public eye.

In God’s eyes, a loving spirit is more important than all our impressive words, knowledge, faith, generosity, and self-sacrifice. These things are not bad, but if not done with, and out of love, they are worthless to God.

We need to examine ourselves and determine if our words are cheap. Have we done our deeds out of love for our fellow man and God? On the opposite spectrum do we say we love but do nothing? Genuine Christian love will take action, but love will be the motivator.