We continue with our previous meditation on GOD’S RIGHT WAY. Firstly, we focused on His NEW AND LIVING WAY. Today, we consider:
A MORE EXCELLENT WAY THE RIGHT WAY
- ‘But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a MORE EXCELLENT WAY’, 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 31.
- following Christ’s death and resurrection, He ascended back to heaven, from whence He came.
- God had given us the greatest gift of all – ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son’, John chapter 3 verse 16 – by doing this, He made it possible for us to have salvation and everlasting life, verses 16 & 17
- Jesus also loved us and gave us the greatest gift of all – ‘the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me’, Galatians chapter 2 verse 29; ‘who gave Himself for our sins’, Galatians chapter 1 verse 4.
- however, His giving did not end there – Paul reveals to us that when He ascended back to heaven, He ‘gave gifts to men’, Ephesians chapter 4 verse 8 – 13 ‘gifts’ are given in 1 Corinthians chapter 12
- Paul wants Christians to desire the best gifts, i.e. those that build up their fellow believers; however, Paul goes on to emphasise that there is A MORE EXCELLENT WAY that eclipses all others – LOVE!
- His message is clear: ‘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 move mountains, but have not LOVE, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor . . . but have not LOVE, it profits me nothing’, 1 Corinthians chapter 13 verse 1.
- if you are a Christian, meditate on the gift(s) you believe you have received from the ascended Christ
- once you have given consideration to this matter, challenge yourself as to whether you exercise your gift(s) in the RIGHT WAY – WITH LOVE!
To be continued