The More Excellent Way

“I shall show you a still more excellent way.” 

1 Cor. 12:31

Saint Paul founded a church in the Greek city of Corinth on his second missionary journey. After he left, the Corinthian community was beset with many problems and Paul wrote trying to fix them. 

In 1 Corinthians 12, he explained about the many wonderful gifts of the Spirit, about how we all have different gifts, but one body. Then he concludes by saying that although we should strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts, there is something that is better than all the gifts combined! 1 Corinthians 13 is the beautiful letter about love being more important than speaking in angelic tongues, or prophecy, or even the gift of faith to heal or to move mountains. If we do not have love, we have nothing and we are nothing in God’s eyes. 

I was listening to the testimony of Carolyn King. God taught her many things from scripture, but God also told her, it did not matter if she knew so much about the Bible, and was so wise, if she did not love others. I enjoyed her stories about how she goes about her day, being sensitive to where God wants to lead her. Most of the time, she is “sent” like an apostle, to those who need God’s assurance that they are loved and valued. Sometimes she’s in a grocery line, where the cashier is stressed, and instead of being impatient, she speaks nicely to her. Or the time she tells a stranger in church that her hair is beautiful. The lady starts to cry because she was wearing a wig and she was feeling self-conscious and did not want to go to church. She prays for people in traffic, and has led many to Christ. 

Sometimes it is hard to love, when we are too busy to stop and notice people around us. But let us take heed. We may be missing golden moments to make a difference in some person’s life.