1 Corinthians 13 is about spiritual gifts and love. Paul’s intention is clear when he wrote this particular chapter. In 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (NIV), Paul said “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
If we are going to continue reading the whole chapter, Paul mentioned the meaning of love several times. The chapter started with the concept of gifts and then goes on defining love. Therefore, love and gift are related to each other.
In relation to spiritual gifts, Paul mentioned two negative related phrases, “I am nothing” and “I gain nothing.” He declares that even though he has various spiritual gifts but do not have love, all of these gifts are “nothing.” Paul wants his readers to understand that using or exercising their spiritual gifts, should be practiced or exercised with love.
How to exercise our spiritual gift with love? How to use our God-given gifts to make an impact? If we are going to serve the Lord through the exercise of our spiritual gifts, we must understand and apply these principles:
Connect the “Heart” with the “Head”
The “heart” represents love and the “head” is the intellect or the brain. To connect the heart with the head is the same as simply saying, use our brain or intellect with love. In verse 2, it says, “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge…” Here, let’s use “all knowledge” to emphasize the concept of the head or intellect.
In the passage above, Paul claims to have spiritual gifts such as knowledge, prophecy, and etc. However, he is also clear that these are nothing if done without love. Therefore, it is really necessary to connect our knowledge and abilities to our hearts.
This principle, “connect the heart and the head” is unique as compared to business principles. Maybe you have heard the sayings in business such as “give value,” “solve problems,” and then, “you have a business.” Giving value and solving problems can also be done without love. In comparison, we should use our gifts and talents, give value, minister to others with genuine love that comes from the heart.
Many of us have the gift of knowledge and the gift of teaching. We have acquired knowledge through our studies and from all the learning experiences inside or outside of the church. Let’s do it with love. Love for the Lord and love for others. Let’s connect the heart with the head.
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Connect the “Heart” with the “Hand”
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:3, “If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” The “hand” represents action. It also refers to giving to the needy or to the poor.
Connect the heart with the hand means, the work of our hands, and the love in our hearts should be inseparable. Can you give something and yet there is hatred in your heart? We should give with love. Giving to the needy, exercising your spiritual gifts, and doing various ministries must always be done with love that comes from God.
Now, Paul gave us a formula to follow, based on the passage above. First, we must have love. We love the Lord and we love others. Second, we need to recognize that we have an intellect. God has given us knowledge and intelligence. Third, God has given us hands and the ability to take action. We combine all of these three and we can exercise our spiritual gifts effectively.
