Love Through Service

1 Corinthians 13 is one of the most well-known and quoted passages in the entire Bible. It’s often read at weddings or taught at youth events. It reads: “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (v. 4-7). Almost everyone in the church has heard these verses many, many times throughout their lives—I know I have!
However, the context of this chapter is not often talked about. The book of 1 Corinthians was written by the Apostle Paul to a struggling church. The church had many issues that Paul needed to address. One of the many issues he addresses in the letter is spiritual gifts and serving in the church. Many people in the Corinthian church were obsessed with the spiritual gifts of speaking in tongues and prophecy. Paul was writing to the Corinthian Christians to tell them that they should pursue all of the spiritual gifts instead of just certain ones. He also emphasized that they should use them to serve each other in love instead of seeking their own glory.
It’s within this context that we find 1 Corinthians 13. The chapter is talking mainly about the importance of love when using spiritual gifts and serving others. Paul was telling the church that even if they could all speak in tongues and prophesy, they would be like a “noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” (v. 1) if they lacked love. No matter how many amazing things they did, if they did not have love, they gained nothing (v. 3). Without love, all of their spiritual gifts and service in the church were worthless.
This idea is so convicting to me. It can be so easy to just show up and serve at church and not use it as an opportunity to love the other people in my church. I can so easily get in the routine of just showing up, doing “my part”, and not thinking twice about how I can love the people that I’m serving. However, in recent months, focusing on loving others through my service in the church has completely changed my perspective. 
About a year ago, I started serving in a new area of the church, but I was struggling to be content with what I was doing. I didn’t know if where I was serving fit my spiritual gifts, and I didn’t feel like I was very good at where I was serving. However, one night when I was serving, God brought the 1 Corinthians passage to my mind. He was reminding me of the opportunity I had to love my brothers and sisters in Christ through my service. 
After that night, God continued to challenge how I viewed my service in the church, and I’ve seen the fruit of it ever since! I started to serve with the intention of loving others and serving them however I could. I tried to be selfless with my time and energy. I sought to show others the love of God whenever I could through the ways that I served. Once I began trying to love others through my service, I started to see God work through me more, and I became more fulfilled in my role in the church.
Imagine what God could do through you if you used every service opportunity as a fresh chance to love others! Imagine how Cornerstone Church would change if every time we served, we sought to show the love of God to everyone around us. When we serve others with this type of love, we not only show the love of God to those around us, but we experience true fulfillment in our serving. How can you love the people around you this week through acts of service?