Try the latest Words of Life as Spotify Podcasts.

Tip: To see latest Words of Life, use Refine Search to list by Year. If using Mobile device, Refine Search may be located at end of page.

These words of the Apostle Paul were the summing up of his letter of warning on how we should receive the spiritual Gifts of the Holy Ghost into our lives, where he emphasized the need for love (or charity) to go hand in hand with those gifts, or they will be of no benefit to us. He wrote if we speak in tongues of men and angels but do not have the gift of love, our sound is empty. How often do we hear today, if one does not speak in tongues, one cannot have the Holy Ghost? Is this showing love? Of course not.

He writes, if I have the gift of prophecy, or understand all mysteries, or have knowledge, or faith to move a mountain, or give to feed the poor, or give up my life but, do not have love, then I have gained nothing. All these gifts only supply in part the pieces as it were in a jig-saw puzzle, that collectively fit together to give a picture that will aid our journey to see the fulfilment of our Lord’s promise for all believing souls. As the Apostle pointed out, these gifts individually can fail, and history certainly has proven this; so we should use them when they are given, but not let ourselves lose sight of the total picture and switch our faith to only those things that we have at that time, or if we do and they fail, then we are likely to fail also.

He writes of a more excellent way that will never fail, and that way is the way of love (Charity). We have the proof of this clearly, for we know that Jesus Christ is the love of God that came into the world, and if we follow His life, we can see clearly that He was never side-tracked from His mission with those things that He knew would fail, like the time He declared what was to happen to Him, and Apostle Peter said on behalf of His disciples, “Be it far from thee, Lord, this shall not be unto thee.” This showed a great act of faith by Peter, but Christ knew that it would fail.

In everything that Christ did He showed love, even when He rebuked, it was for the love of the souls of those involved. We see then in our text that the Apostle Paul was likening our spiritual journey to our own lives, as we try to look into the future through a glass, but that turns into a mirror, and we see ourselves, but do we really see ourselves in our entirety, no of course not, no matter how we look, we can only ever see part of ourselves, as we move the mirror around, we see another part but loose vision of the first part, and so it is in God’s plan for our future, for that is hidden from us, as written in Proverbs 27:1. “Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.”

This does not mean we should not try to visualize or dream in our mind of a better spiritual being, but it must be as the Psalmist writes in Ps. 17:15. “As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.” This total knowledge is withheld for our betterment if we follow God’s word, because it could be perilous (Gen. 2:17) because we do not have the ability to understand (John 16:12) it is a gradual revelation in God’s plan (Eph. 3:5), and it gives us an opportunity to display faith, (1 John 3:2) “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be.”

The important thing for us to strive for, is the last words of our text; “As also I am known.” To be known by God as His saints at all times is more important than for us to know, and this is achieved if we believe His words:-

• “And he knoweth them that trust in him.”
• “Nathanael saith unto him, whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him. Before that Philip called thee. I saw thee.”
• “To him the porter openeth and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name.
• “I am the good shepherd and know my sheep, and am known of mine.”
• “But if any man love God, the same is known of him.”
• “Nevertheless the foundation of God, standeth sure, having this seal the Lord knoweth them that are his.
• And let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

We can see we should not waste too much of our time trying to see us as we will be, but rather put that time in making us as we should be today. If we can achieve this in love, the rest will take care of itself.