Love truly surpasses all. But it can get easy to lose sight of that. I find 1 Corinthians 13 to be the most convicting passages in all of scripture.

1 Corinthians 13:1-2, “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”

I tend to get a big head about my knowledge of the Bible and ability to articulate that knowledge. But I certainly cannot fathom ALL mysteries and knowledge, even on my best days. So, when I let my “superior” knowledge or faith keep me from loving radically and reaching out to others faithfully, I have not only failed, but my knowledge and faith are worthless to God.

No matter how much I study God, and come closer to grasping  His character, I must always remember that my true purpose is to reflect the love of God to the world. So, when I am alone studying God, it should be merely a time of preparation to go back out and love people that are hard to love.

Even the spiritual gift of tongues is as hollow and empty of helpful teaching as the sound of a gong or a cymbal when it is done without love (New Bible Commentary). If we are going to speak truth to those around us, which we should most certainly do, we must remember that doing so with the motive of anything other than compassion and love is worthless and counterintuitive. Sharing the gospel, or our views on ethics or theology, is a waste of time and energy if we are simply trying to win an argument or gain the admiration of others.

We must seek the Lord in prayer and ask him to fill our hearts with love before we speak the truth. Nothing is more of an honor or joy.