Description
Are You Just a Noisy Gong or a Clanging Cymbal?
Reflect on the teachings from 1 Corinthians 13:1 and explore the import… (visit YouTube for more)
Transcript
Are you just a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal? Am I? Let’s reflect on what Paul is saying to us in one Corinthians chapter 13, verse one. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
Paul says, no matter what you have to say, no matter how beautiful it is, it could be the language of angels. If you are saying this without love, you are making a discordant noise that will be painful to your hearers.
Paul says that one of our primary motivations must be love. And I’m not convinced we’re very good at this. We seem much more prone to be standing on our rights, defending our needs, expecting people to adapt to our requirements rather than taking a loving approach where we’re seeking first the needs of others, where we’re trying to see how best they can understand what we are saying, speaking their language. Not beating them around the head with our ideas.
So how do we ensure that what we’re saying, whatever tongues we are using, they aren’t discordant and clashing. I know we keep coming back to this, but the Holy Spirit has been put into us for a reason, and that reason is among other things, to grow his Fruit in us, which includes love and patience and kindness, gentleness, all of these things affect the way we treat other people and how we speak to them.
So do we want to be noisy gongs, clanging cymbals? I hope not. And if not, let’s ask God to increase our love for everyone, especially for those that we don’t naturally find very lovable.
Heavenly Father. Thank you that you’ve given us your Holy Spirit to grow in us your fruit, including the aspect of love. Please fill us with compassion for our fellow humans, and please help us when we speak to those around us to be doing so firstly motivated by love. Amen.
