Noise

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

New King James Version (NKJV)

The Greatest Gift

13 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 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, but have not love, I am nothing. ³ And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,^[a] but have not love, it profits me nothing.

 

James and I were just discussing this verse the other night. It reminds me that I don't want to be just noise. The verse says a sounding brass or clanging cymbal. Those are just irritating noise not music to the ears. They are noises that people will tune out or move far away from so they don't have to listen to it anymore. Love is music to the soul, it makes someone want to hear you because they know you care. Great things done with love point to a great God who is love and give Him the glory. Sacrifice with love points to Jesus,the one who made the ultimate sacrifice.

 

If you just share knowledge without love it will fall on deaf ears. Love is like water which softens the soil of the heart that allows that seed of knowledge to take root and grow. If we do great things without love it will point to us as the source of greatness, that it was done for our glory. If we sacrifice without love it is also for our benefit, so that people think highly of us.

 

An example I will use is the issue of abortion. What if I were to tell you what the Bible says about how God feels about the unborn and the sanctity of life? What if I added to that statistics about the emotional, spiritual and physical consequences of abortion? What if I marched on Washington with 600,000+ others? What if I donated items to my local crisis pregnancy center? All of these things above done without love profit me nothing and may sound like noise.

 

What if instead I open my heart up to the possibility of adopting an unwanted child if that is God's will for me? What if instead I sit across from a woman facing an unwanted pregnancy and listen to her story and instead of judgement show her grace? What if instead of just making a donation of things to a crisis pregnancy center I donate my time?

 

I am not saying speaking up against abortion is wrong and speaking for children without a voice is just noise. But have we considered that the mother may feel she doesn't have a voice either. I can say from experience that many of them feel that they don't. I have sat across from some of them who have every voice in their life telling them that they need to have an abortion. Do our voices just sound like more noise to them?

 

I have to believe there is something within them screaming that this isn't right, even if it's been muffled by a lifetime of pro choice propaganda. Will we just try to drowned out all that noise she's heard with some more of our own? Or will we listen first with love and grace and when the soil of her heart has softened then share the truth and give her what she needs now that she is more likely to accept it because she knows you love and care for her and not just her baby? This also applies not just to those face the decision for themselves but those who believe in the right of it for others. We need to listen to them and extend love and grace in the conversations we have with them.

 

Now I just used this issue because it is one that has been on the forefront of my mind lately but this verse is to be applied to every area of our lives. Ask yourself am I just noise or am I trying to draw attention to myself through my great deeds or what I give? It might help to ask a few people closest to you if you can't answer it easily for yourself. Do they feel loved when they don't agree with you? Is what you are doing with you time and energy giving glory to God or you? We can waste our breaths and our energy and our resources our whole lives and it will profit us nothing, for it will be a waste without love.

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