And He said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you (Matthew 17:20).
Nothing is impossible with God. One tiny ounce of faith can move mountains! That's pretty impressive.
But we often forget to look at the bigger picture. Faith, though important, comes initially from love. It is formed by God's love and strengthened by it. It is nothing without this love, which allows our faith to have meaning. The greatest commandment is to love God with your whole heart, soul, strength, and mind. This is our priority. Faith will follow.
If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing...Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away (1 Corinthians 13).
Moving mountains. The same imagery is used in the verse from Matthew. Matthew 17:20 tells us that faith can move mountains. But 1 Corinthians 13 tells us that regardless of the mountains we move, we are nothing without love. We can accomplish great things with a bit of faith, but we can accomplish nothing if this faith lacks love. A faithful life entails LOVE. It is absolutely necessary. A truly faithful life cannot be achieved without it.
Tongues of men and of angels. So often today, we are persuaded by eloquence. Those with "tongues of men and of angels" lead us down their paths, trying to sell us on their beliefs or products. And more often than not, we fall for it. We fail to recognize that a voice without love is a hollow voice, full of empty promises. What benefit is there in convincing a crowd when your words mean only to harm them?
Know all mysteries and all knowledge. Again, we are reminded that love is more important than anything else. You can know all there is to know about God, but you can never convey His truth without love because GOD IS LOVE. You cannot separate them.
What is the purpose of life? It is simpler than it seems: TO LOVE AND BE LOVED. I'm not talking about superficial love either. Love is not measured in boxes of chocolates or roses. The word love itself is tossed around so much that it is easy to lose sight of its significance. Love means caring for another with our whole hearts. This love will not only bring joy to our lives, but also to the lives of all we meet. God loves us more than we could ever imagine. His love alone can give our life meaning; it can give us faith and hope, along with a billion other virtues. It can give our earthly lives purpose and our souls eternal life. It is our duty to reciprocate this love and reflect it upon all we meet. Our life must be evidence of God's love. This is the most effective way to be a walking example of a faithful life. This is the most effective way to follow God's will to love Him, our neighbors, and ourselves.
If we love God, others, and ourselves, God's love will seep into our daily lives. We will become messengers of God's powerful affection for us. All it takes is one step to realize God's love. The moment we see His perfect love for us, we will fall in love with Him, and the moment we fall in love with Him, we will want to spread His beauty to the world. Everything God did for us, He did out of love. It is our obligations as human beings, created out of His love for us each as individuals, to return God's love and spread it to all. God is love. He gives us His love, He expects our love in return, and He commands that we love one another as He has loved us.
"Love" can exist without God, but it is not true love. This Godless love can never compare to the love God gives us. Only God's light and love can bring us eternal life. This love never fails. It forgives all wrongs. It can fill our days with endless joy. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. It can move can move mountains.
Related songs:
The Proof of Your Love (Monologue Mix)- for KING & COUNTRY (featuring 1 Corinthians 13).
One Thing Remains- Kristian Stanfill, Passion 2012
Fall in love with Jesus Christ, to live his very life, so that our world may have life in the light of the Gospel.
-Pope John Paul II
P.S. Check out my youth group's Harlem Shake video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rr_C80t_zgk
Fall in love with Jesus Christ, to live his very life, so that our world may have life in the light of the Gospel.
-Pope John Paul II
P.S. Check out my youth group's Harlem Shake video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rr_C80t_zgk
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