1 Corinthians 13:8-10 

⁸Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.

Wasn’t Good Enough

         Most if not all love songs are inspired by personal experience of love and relationship. One way or another, you may identify with the message of this song, “I did my best, but I guess my best wasn’t good enough.” James Ingram (singer) once revealed that his song “Just Once” was inspired by personal experiences with love, relationship and yearning for emotional connection with someone else.

         The complexities of relationship between lovers cannot be solved in short timeline. When their personal best is not good enough, how could they make things right? Together, they should agree and desire to figure things out.

         Well, no mankind is good enough as in the true sense of goodness. Read what it declared in Galatians 5:22-23, ²²The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control.

         What do you think? If the Holy Spirit produce goodness in us, can we sing that our best is good enough? Well, fault-finding people ignore anything good that we do; they can only see our flaw. And no matter how good we perform, still, it will not be good enough for them, why? Mankind is imperfect. Realistically, no imperfect mankind can define what is good in the true sense of goodness.

Anyone who is not good enough is just limited to what is not good enough. Only the good God can perform what is perfectly good. If God declares that by faith in Christ we are perfectly good to enter heaven, what can human do? But don’t be too quick to conclude that you’re perfectly good to enter heaven by faith.

Together, let us reflect on what it challenges us in Philippians 2:12-15.

¹²Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. ¹⁴Do everything without grumbling or arguing, ¹⁵so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”

What does “Work out your salvation” mean? To “Work out our salvation” means that we commit to diligently perform whatever it takes to be blameless and pure children of God without fault; we continue to bring about or accomplish the good purpose of God in us until our salvation is completed and finished.

This salvation is deliverance from eternal torture. Since we haven’t entered heaven yet, does God deliver us also from temporal struggle or torture on earth?

This warped and crooked generation can influence even great people of God to be sidetracked. Meaning, anyone can be victimized. Reflect on what it narrated in Genesis 12:10, ¹⁰ Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.

         God told Abram, “Go to the land I will show you.” God promised to bless him, and to make his name great to be a blessing. So, Abram obeyed the Lord.

Abram was 75 years old when he obeyed the Lord and went to Canaan. Instead of abundance, there’s famine in Canaan. It was the first testing of Abram. Abram did what he thought was best enough; he did not return to his country of birth. He went to Egypt for a while. God allowed it, and Abram prospered in Egypt.

         Eventually, Abram and his household returned to Canaan, but he never planned of returning to the land of his birth. How can we relate to the story of Abram as believers of Christ? Certainly, all believers will be tested to make sure that our faith in Christ is genuine. Testing of faith is part of our salvation that needs to be worked out and cultivated to accomplish the purposes of God in us.

         Reflect on what Christ declared in Matthew 5:14-16, ¹⁴You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

         Christ declares us to be “light of the world.” The purpose of God for us is to be light in this warped and crooked generation. Our behavior should reflect the transformational work of God in our life. By our human effort, we cannot behave as the light of the world, but with the guidance and help of the Holy Spirit we can.

Observers expect Christians to behave well. But confusion could affect our behavior. But with the Holy Spirit in us, agape love protects us perpetually.

1. Perpetually

    ⁸Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 

         When it says “Love never fails,” it is a declaration of perpetual effect of the agape love of God in us and through us. Love protects us in all things that may cause us to be shaken in our faith in Christ. How can we make sure that what we do or perform would always be spiced and flavored with agape love of God?

Do you accept that anything we accomplish without agape love of God will never be included in our eternal treasure in heaven? Why? Romans 3:11 says:

¹¹There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God.

If no one understands and no one seeks the will of God, our tendency is to follow the inclination of our hearts. But when the Holy Spirit produces love in us, it means that God is at work in us and guiding us to perform according to his will.

The Scripture says that prophecies will cease; tongues will be stilled and knowledge will pass away. Why? It emphasized human limitation. The spiritual gift of prophecy or preaching, speaking in tongues and knowledge are essential to edify, educate, teach and equip believers for ministry services.

The term “Cease” suggests the idea of “powerless or discharged; it is not operative.” For instance: When a gas vehicle runs out of gas, it cannot operate.

If an electric vehicle isn’t charged, it’s powerless; it has to be charged to function. Similarly for the gift of prophecy to function well, it should be powered by agape love of God. Agape love of God is forever perpetual operative. However, time will come when all prophecies will cease and not operative anymore. It’s also true with speaking of tongues and knowledge; these spiritual gifts will end eventually.

         Let us reflect on what Apostle Paul confessed in 1 Corinthians 13:1-2.

¹If 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. ²If 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.

         Whenever we aspire for spiritual gift or when we practice our spiritual gift, we always seek be filled with the Holy Spirit so that agape love prevails in us. Worldly temptations are prevalent, and anyone can be confused or disillusioned.

         How do you interpret what his friend Eliphaz advised Job in Job 5:8-12?

⁸But if I were you, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before him. ⁹He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted. ¹⁰He provides rain for the earth; he sends water on the countryside. ¹¹The lowly he sets on high, and those who mourn are lifted to safety. ¹²He thwarts the plans of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success.

         Like Eliphaz, the friend of Job, many individuals are quick to quote biblical passages in counseling. Job suffered devastation of his properties; his children tragically died, and Job was inflicted with skin diseases. He was very miserable. His friends tried to comfort him with their inappropriate rhetoric, and the Lord was angry with them. So, he rebuked them in Job 42:7-9, ⁷The Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has. ⁸So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.” ⁹So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.

         It is useful to have great knowledge of the Scripture, yet Eliphaz and his friends failed to comfort their friend Job because their advisories were not spiced with agape love of God. Most parents may claim that they love their children; that is why, they scold, reprimand or rebuke them. Parents: Have you observed that most often, children respond negatively when we discipline or admonish them?

         From now on, seriously pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit until we sense his agape love, that is when we admonish our children; the result will be better. If children won’t respond positively, we’ll be protected from possible frustration. Our mission purpose as parents is realized partially when agape love prevails in us.

2.  Partially

⁹For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 

         For a long, long time, experts search for solution to cancer. Somehow, the solution to cancer is just partially realized. It practically proves human limitation.

Spiritually, we can only partially comprehend our mission purposes in this world. If knowledge of the plan of God is partial, then preachers cannot fully know what God wants believers to hear. Anyways, partial knowledge that God allows us to know or hear can be useful for life on earth for us to be light of the world.

         Even so, we should not be complacent. Do not simply absorb with certainty anything we hear from the pulpit. We should always ask, “Is this biblical or just a personal interpretation of the preacher?” With partial knowledge of the Scripture, it is easy to be misled. We could learn from the Berean believers. Reflect on what it says in Acts 17:11, ¹¹The Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

         Paul was an Apostle of Christ, but the Bereans did not hesitate to search and examine the Scriptures to make sure that what they heard was really biblical. Unlike in the first century, there are different versions of the Bible these days.

So, how can we know which translation of the Scripture should we read?

         Always be prayerful to be filled with the Holy Spirit and seek his guidance to identify which biblical translation can help us grow spiritually and not confused.

Sadducees

         In the Scripture, the Sadducees were Jewish political leaders who did not believe in the resurrection. Reflect on their confusion in Matthew 22:23-30,

²³The Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. ²⁴“Teacher,” they said, “Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for him. ²⁵Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. ²⁶The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. ²⁷Finally, the woman died. ²⁸Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?” ²⁹Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. ³⁰At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.

         The Sadducees have partial knowledge of the Scripture; they quoted what Moses had instructed. They only used the Scripture to support their belief; they were confused, their interpretation of the Scripture was wrong. And Christ told them, “You are in error.” When Christ said that at the resurrection people will be like angels, some people interpret that they’ll become angels when they die.

Wrong interpretation of the Scripture practically reveals our imperfection, but when Christ returns, he will completely transform us perfectly. Do you agree?

3.  Perfectly

¹⁰but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 

         The term “completeness” means “perfection.” Completeness will come perfectly when Christ returns to bring into effect all necessary process for us to enter his perfect heaven. Spiritual journey is very challenging, but we hope and look forward to that day when completeness comes. By then, what is partial will disappear, and everything will be perfectly completed. Are you excited about it?

Great Project

         What do you wish to accomplish in your lifetime? King Solomon undertook great projects: he built palaces; he planted vineyards. He had gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. He made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. He bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in his palace. He also owned herds and flocks more than anyone in Jerusalem before him. He accumulated and amassed silver and gold. He also had entertainers. He was greater by far than any king of Israel before him.

         And many people wish to attain things similar to what King Solomon had accomplished. King Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 2:19-23, ¹⁹And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. ²⁰So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. ²¹For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. ²²What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? ²³ All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless.

         To attain something feels great temporarily. But we can aspire for eternal.

         Our eternal residency is not in this world. Yet while we live in this world, we prioritize storing up eternal treasures for ourselves in heaven, our eternal home. As inspired by the Holy Spirit, we behave in godly manner so that acquaintances may see and sense the agape love of God through us. And who knows?

Our behavior may encourage observers to eventually trust Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. We will rejoice eternally when someone tells us in heaven, “Thank you for your testimony had inspired me to believe in Christ.” Hallelujah!

In this world, everything may offer partial gratification. When Christ comes again, he will take us into heaven to be perfectly and completely satisfied. That is when we completely realize that the agape love of God for us never fails. Amen!

><((‘> .. ><((‘> … ><(((“> tmec\2024 <“)))>< … <‘))>< .. <‘))><