This week we're going to talk about something that might sting a little.
Some of us are right. We know our Bibles. We know good doctrine from bad. We can spot a compromise from across the room.
And people still don't want to be around us.
Here's the big idea for this series. You can be right about the truth and still be wrong in how you carry it.
Paul wrote to a church in Corinth that was loaded with spiritual gifts. Knowledge. Prophecy. Tongues. Strong opinions. What they didn't have was love.
So Paul says, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal."
Think about a cymbal. Hit it once at the right moment and it's powerful. Hit it nonstop and everyone wants to leave the room.
That's truth without love. Loud. Correct. Exhausting.
Then Paul goes further. Prophecy. All knowledge. Faith that moves mountains. "But have not love, I am nothing."
Not less effective. Nothing.
Paul isn't saying truth doesn't matter. He fought hard for the gospel.
He's saying correct isn't the same as Christlike.
Jesus is the truth. And sinners still wanted to eat with Him.
That should stop us. The people furthest from God were drawn to Jesus. The people most correct about the law couldn't stand Him.
So which group would be more comfortable around you?
Rough edges can look like a lot of things. Always needing to correct. Sarcasm that cuts. Winning the argument and losing the person. Being known more for what you're against than who you're for.
Paul said it in the same letter. "Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies."
You can know a lot and build nothing.
Here's the good news. Jesus was a carpenter. He knows exactly what to do with rough wood.
He doesn't throw it away. He shapes it.
This week, we're going to let Him find our rough edges and file them down. Not so we stop standing for truth. So people can get close enough to meet Jesus through us.
Today's Challenge
Ask one person who knows you well this question: "When I disagree with someone, am I easy or hard to be around?" Don't defend yourself. Just say, "Thank you," and write down what they said. Keep it. You'll need it on Day 6. Then read 1 Corinthians 13:1-7 slowly and circle the phrase that convicts you most.
Prayer
Jesus, You are the truth, and sinners still wanted to be near You. Forgive me for the times I've been right and unloving. I don't want to be a clanging cymbal. Show me my rough edges, even the ones I can't see, and shape me until my life sounds like You. In Jesus' name, amen.
Reflection
- Am I known more for being right or for being loving?
- Would people far from God feel safe getting close to me?
- Where have I won an argument and lost a person?
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.