Daily Devotions for Difficult Days [87] Sonnet of Love (2) Clanging Cymbals

Love for God leads to love for people

The building of one Christian church in London, of a rather strict variety it must be said, had only one skylight in the ceiling. There were no windows facing the world. Quite literally, they wanted to be able to see Jesus when he returned, but had no eye - or concern - for the world.

It is one thing to have no "eye" on the world, to make sure we are not being poured into her mould. But it is altogether another thing to have no care for the world. To love God is always to be like Him, and God, we read, loves the world.

And to love God is especially, to love his people, the Church.

When the church comes out of lockdown, we hope and pray that visitors who have been able to watch online will now join us in real life, for to love God is to love his children. If I say to a friend of mine "I love you," but pay no attention to his children, or do not love his children, he has every right to say to me "you don't really love me." For the parent and the child come as one.

Learning to Love

Loving, as God loves is very differerent from loving as the world loves. And here is where 1 Corinthians chapter 13 comes in. Line by line we are taught divine love.

And we notice, almost right away, that much of the instruction is couched negatively. Love "does not envy," love "is not rude" and so on. This simple observation teaches us that we must often be corrected in our view of love. If you and I are to love someone as God loves, says Paul, it looks like this, rather than that.

We don't automatically know how to love and must be taught.

Speech laced with Love

The first lesson Paul teaches us about loving one another is to make sure that our words are founded on and motivated by love.

"If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal."

Paul is addressing a problem in the Corinthian Church. People were speaking in tongues - some probably thought they were speaking one up on human talk and uttering angel talk - but they were doing it without love for the people they were speaking to. They were doing it to look good.

As a result, their speech sounded like an irritating cymbal rather than melodious and gracious accompaniment.

Imagine someone banging away on a noisy cymbal in a public space! We see children putting their hands over their ears, elderly faces screwed up in annoyance and other people walking away.

That, says Paul is what speech without love is like.

Summing it all Up

For speech to be done in love it must be for the benefit of those listening. The golden rule of speech says Paul says in  1 Corinthians 14:26 is that all "must be done for the strengthening of the church."

So whenever we speak, whether in homegroup or from the pulpit, whether in our homes or online, we must make sure we speak for the benefit and edification of those before us.

We must not speak to hear our own voices, we must not speak to show off our knowledge, we must not speak to offload some interesting but irrelevant story, we must speak to help others and to bless them.

Paul's "clanging cymbal" imagery is deliberately striking, because he is having to correct a common error any one of us can be guilty of - speaking to the pain or annoyance of others!

May the Lord teach us to speak and write and text and email for the strenghtening up of others, alone. May we speak as Jesus spoke, for of Him it was said, "All... were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips." (Luke 4:22)

A SONG FOR THE DAY

Ou song for today is about the sacrificial love of God in Christ Jesus, our model, our standard, our example.

Here is love, vast as the ocean
Loving kindness as the flood
When the Prince of Life, our Ransom
Shed for us His precious blood
Who His love will not remember?
Who can cease to sing His praise?
He can never be forgotten

Throughout Heaven's eternal days

On the mount of crucifixion
Fountains opened deep and wide
Through the floodgates of God's mercy
Flowed a vast and gracious tide
Grace and love, like mighty rivers
Poured incessant from above
And Heaven's peace and perfect justice
Kissed a guilty world in love

Matt Giles, Vell Rives, William Rees

You can hear it HERE.

A Prayer for the Day

Our loving Father in heaven,

We confess that our speech is not what it should be. Forgive us our many sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness according to your gracious promise.

We thank you for the example of the Lord Jesus whose words were always gracious - even when he had to rebuke. Help us to keep a tight rein on our tongues and speak only those things that will strengthen others.

We ask these things so that Jesus may be glorified in our lives.

Amen

Photo by Israel Palacio on Unsplash