If I give away all my possessions, and if I give over my body in order to boast but do not have love, I gain nothing. —1 Corinthians 13:3
Love is not only our actions, but also the heart behind the actions. According to the apostle Paul, the things we do won’t have lasting significance unless we do them out of love.
The Lord made this very practical to me one day as I was getting ready to teach on 1 Corinthians 13. During my preparation, I came up with a para- phrase that applied to my situation: “Though I teach women’s conferences, though I spend hours studying and preparing podcasts to invest in the lives of others, if I do it without love, at the end of my life it will be a big fat zero.”
It’s sobering to think about how many acts of service I’ve attempted without love. The sum total of those works and deeds has been nothing.
No matter what God’s called you to today, before you tackle it, ask Him to give you a heart of love.
Make it Personal
Ask God to help you evaluate your actions to determine if true love is the motivating factor.