Daily EncouragementSample

“And now” indicates where Paul was coming from when he dictated the inspired lines of 1 Corinthians chapter 13, which describe “the most excellent way” of love. He had been speaking of spiritual gifts in the one body with its many parts. There is an air of wonder about it all. The Holy spirit baptizes the members into one body and gives each gifts “just as he determines” - some greater than others and none given to all. The members are diverse, the gifts are different. There is the potential for counterfeit. There is the possibility of division, some members being made to feel insignificant and unnecessary by those proud of their position. There is the danger of confusion, as some desire the greater gifts without discerning which they are. Is there a way to ensure harmony and balance, to keep the unity, to glorify the Lord? There is - “the most excellent way.” It is essential. Without it tongues, prophecy, mountain-moving faith and martyrdom amount to noise and nothing! That is why we are to “follow the way of love” (1 Cor. 14:1). It is a hunter’s term, reminding us of the Kalahari bushman’s persistence in following his prey. Reading 1 Corinthians chapter 13 today will get us going. I know of someone who read it every day for a month, and his life was never the same again.