Austin's Blog

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 

If I have all the gifts of the Spirit and move people with eloquence that could make the hardest of men weep but have not love, I’m just white noise. I’m background noise. Without love, I’m merely making sounds that annoy people and move them to frustration. I’m not filling or completing their joy but diminishing their felicity in Christ. I want my words to bless, sustain, and move; not curse, cripple, or deform. 

And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 

What is all my knowledge if it is not loving knowledge? What is all my knowledge if it is not humble knowledge? If I write a systematic theology book that is used by every seminary and church on the planet, but have not love, I gain nothing. If I dig enough wells to sate the thirst of every person on the planet, but have not love, I gain nothing. If I put a cross on my back and walk across the United States, but have not love, I gain nothing. If I discourse with angels concerning election and God’s glory, but have not love, I gain nothing. If I teach the nations Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic, but have not love, I gain nothing. If I lead a church with millions of parishioners that plant thousands upon thousands of other churches, but have not love, I gain nothing. If I provide every orphan with a pair of Tom’s shoes, but have not love, I gain nothing. If I memorize the whole New Testament and can quote it from memory in my sleep, but have not love, I gain nothing. If I preach like C.H. Spurgeon, J.I. Packer, John Piper or any of the bests, but have not love, I gain nothing. If I tithe all that I make and build up the kingdom in every way, but have not love, I gain nothing. If I can refute every erroneous theological position with passion and truth, but have not love, I gain nothing. If I do everything the right way, but have not love, I gain nothing. If I have it all from a human perspective, but have not love, I am nothing.

 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. 

If I don’t put on love, if I don’t wear it over me like a garment, if I don’t let it get inside me and mess me up, if I don’t let it flow and seep down into my heart, if I don’t let it change and wound me, break and mold me, encourage and sanctify me, meet and make me, prick and prod me, provoke and harm me, I gain nothing. Nothing. Nothing. I could throw my body in front of a moving vehicle or jump in the way of some danger for another but without love, there is no gain. Love is gain. Even in the tough times, love is all gain. How can you give your body over to fire or give all you have away and not love? Motive. Motives matter. Paul said whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. If I don’t have Christ’s joy and glory as my goal, the motive is off and my love is empty. An empty love is no love at all. 

Love is patient.

Love suffers long. To love anything truly we must be willing to suffer for it. God can use our suffering to change the object of our affection. Love does not run away when it becomes apparent that people are broken and fallen. It stays when you realize you’re wrong and the Beloved is wrong. Love waits patiently. Love does not blunder in. Love does not jump the gun or run to hasty conclusions. Long-suffering love waits. It waits actively and passively for the good that God promises to bring. 

Love is kind.

Love is not rude, sarcastic, or mean. Love is affectionately warm and wholly generous. It is not stingy, stompy, or staunchly opinionated without thought of the other. It acts nobly or honorably towards the other person. Kind love shows the sweetness of Jesus. It goes the extra mile and treats the other like he or she desires to be treated. Kindly love is Good Samaritan love. It is cross-of-Jesus love. 

Love does not envy.

Love is not intensely jealous. It preserves the individuality of the other person. It does not seek to take away from what the other has but to celebrate its beauty with the Beloved. There’s no competition in love because love isn’t a game. Love is not something owed or a commodity to own. It asks, “How can I best shepherd you and what you have to Jesus?” It is jealous for the glory of Christ; not self-glory. 

Love does not boast.

Humble love is quiet love that celebrates when celebration is called for. It does not parade itself before all men and rub their face in it. Love isn’t for windbags or pompous and petty people. Love shows us Jesus but it is not showy. Love isn’t self-congratulatory. Love points beyond itself to the God who is Love. This love is bold, confident, and sure but it is not pretentious or ostentatious. It respects the needs and wants of the Other. Any good that my love does comes from God. I love but He works that love in me. 

It is not arrogant.

Love is not puffed up or bloated. There are no overtones or undertones of arrogance. Love equalizes and levels the playing field. It does not make someone better than another. It makes us better people without being better in our own eyes than others. Again, humble love. Lowly love. Jesus-washing-his-disciples’-feet love. It is a love that does not mind getting a little messy and dirty for the sake of another. It goes down deep and far and low for the sake of the other. It gets his hands calloused and his body bruised.  

It is not rude. 

Love does not behave shamefully or disgracefully. Christian love cares too much for others to behave in a rude fashion. It is not inappropriate. It is not attention-seeking. Love is not ill-mannered but polite and pleasant even if it is hard. It is courteous and saintly. Love does not elbow its way into first place or push people down into the dirt to get ahead. It gives; not violently takes. Love conforms, not deforms. Love transforms, not mangles. 

It does not insist on its own way.

Love imprisons you to seek the joy of another. There’s no greater imprisonment than to belong to the Lord and also to the Beloved. It leads others to truth, goodness, and beauty. Not to itself. It puts others first and foremost. It pushes the other out of the way of harm into the way of safety. No longer do I have my own prerogatives, my own freedom, my own plans, my own ways. I have our plans. Our freedom. Our ways. Love does not believe finding oneself is the highest good but seeking the good of others. It’s self-giving. It ever flows for another. It is a wellspring of joy not mainly for you but for the Beloved. It is not enamored or taken with self-gain, self-justification, or self-worth. It seeks even the good of the enemy. 

It is not irritable. 

Love isn’t looking for a reason to have a fight. It isn’t looking for a moment to prove its strength or come to blows. Love is not easily provoked. It does not make acid that which is sweet. It does not poison that which is healthy or wholesome. Love does not look for ways or differences to be offended. It’s not exasperated or ready to draw the gun. Love lays down the guns. Love isn’t always concerned with being right. Sometimes it is better to be loved than to be right. Love leaves vengeance and discipline to the Lord. Love isn’t a curmudgeon. It isn’t a high school girl who stamps her feet. It isn’t a baby who falls down and cries when it doesn’t get his way. Love is not easily angered. It should not possess unrighteous anger. 

It is not resentful.

Love does not keep a list of wrongs. There’s no law you’ve broken or failed to live up to. It is all grace. It does not count offenses or remain embittered after the sorrys have been said. It does not reckon or count wrong but forgives as God has forgiven. It does not nurse a hurt into a disease. It cuts the cord of bitterness so sweetness can joyfully return. Love does not suspect of evil or commit evil itself. There’s no mockery behind backs. There’s no sketchy eyes or suspicious grins. Love is innocent of all plans to hurt or harm. Love takes no note of injury. It does not store up grievances. It keeps no score. It remembers sin no more once Christ places it at the bottom of the sea. It exists no longer. It doesn’t crucify another if Jesus died on their cross. It does not nail another if Jesus’ nails were enough. 

It does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 

We don’t rejoice when another fails or falls. We delight, celebrate, revel, and rejoice when the other rises. Overcomes. Becomes obedient. We acclaim the truth. We feel pleasure when others are spoken well of instead of rejoicing when someone loses their standing. Love is honest and open, not defensive and shady. When the other is wrong in such a way that their fellowship and joy in Christ are at stake, love rebukes, reproves, and reminds of the great promises of God. A misdeed is not viewed as a good. Truth is treasured, delighted in, and appreciated. It is a tantalizing meal that sustains, satisfies, and sates. 

Love bears all things.

Love bears it all. Sickness, misunderstanding, misinterpretation, misdeeds, sin, sorrow, suffering, and dryness. Love puts up with another. It always perseveres. It always goes the extra mile. It always swims further and further out into the ocean of self-giving deeds and attitudes. Love is tenacious. Love is continual. Love moves forward even in the midst of adversity. It never tires of support. Love covers the roof of the house and stains the windows with beautiful pictures during the midst of difficulty. It covers over a multitude of sin. It is always ready to offer forgiveness. It forbears and frankly pardons. It excuses wrong. It exonerates the criminal. It absolves and bears the pain of the other. If there’s no joy and peace for you, then there’s no joy and peace for me. It is that simple. Our joy and peace are bound together until Christ is all and all in us in the end.  

Love believes all things.

Love is faithful toward the other. It is not faith-less. It believes, trusts, obeys. The life of Christ is the content of our love and faith in him is sure and strong. Love does not stripe itself of wisdom or discernment. It does not disrobe the truth. It believes. There’s no ill-found suspicion of God but a steady and strong rest in him and his promises. Love never loses faith in God or even in God’s work in people. The human project is going somewhere because God lives and reigns. There’s an invincible power of Good because God is good. All the time. God is good. 

Love hopes all things.

Love does not think negatively as a knee-jerk reaction. It does not needlessly distrust or doubt. It does not disobey. It hopes. Christian hope is a memory of the future. God will take care of the hopeful if their hope is in him. Hope will give way to certainty. Love does not give up on people.

Love endures all things. 

Love abides. It remains. It rests. All things means all things. Love endures scorn, failure, and ingratitude. At the end of it all shines the light of Christ. I can be misunderstood, hurt, and harmed but our love will stay put. It will hang on. It will still be nailed to the wall. It is concreted to the floor. It carries on, moves toward a goal, tolerates, and grows. Love stomachs, stands for, and stands in the place for the Beloved. It stays behind, goes ahead, and is present.  

Love never ends. 

It never gives up. It continues. It is forever headed in the same direction even when we mess up. It does not cease to exist when we are unlovely. Love does not fall to the ground. It is not thrown in the pit. It is not trashed or left behind. It does not collapse though it may lapse. Love does not dissolve, disintegrate, or die. It is not something to fall into and out of. Love is robust, vigorous, fulfilling, and healthy. It is full-bodied, fully-orbed, full-grown, and fully present. It is vital, energetic, invigorating, life-sustaining. It is essential, imperative, important, preeminent, prominent, indispensable, necessary, and indestructible. It is incorruptible never yielding to decay or decomposition. It does not die because of doubts or disobedience. It does not evaporate or dry up. It is not vanishing, disappearing, or fading. It is an eternal cloth, a robe of wonder, and a celestial coat. It never ends.