The Starting Word

As we finish our reading of 1 Corinthians this week, we come to this brief but powerful verse in the last chapter:

Let all that you do be done in love. (16:14)

Can there be a better challenge for the week? Let all that we do be done in love.

The best definition of agape love in the Bible is found in Philippians 2 where the Apostle Paul describes the "attitude" of Christ Jesus. He says:

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own interests, but also for the interests of others. (Philippians 2:3 - 4) 

To live and work and play in the spirit of love that Jesus modeled is to do precisely this - not merely look out for our own interests but also for the interests of others and to regard one another as more important than ourselves. This should be true in the church. It should be true in our families. It should be true wherever we go and in all that we do.

The challenge is straightforward and deceptively simple, isn't it? Knowing what to do and how to act is not really a question here. The question before us is not "what shall we do?" but "will we do it?" Will we look out for the best interests of others? And will we do it in "all that [we] do?" In many ways, this takes us back to "The Golden Rule," doesn't it? Do unto others as you would have them do unto you (KJV) or Treat others the same way you want them to treat you (NASB). That's love in action. This is how Christ calls us to live. The idea is simple. The application will challenge us.

As the Apostle Paul concludes his letter to Corinthian Christians, this is his final word to the church as a whole. (Note that the remaining verses are directed toward certain individuals or contain shared greetings from others.) Let all that you do be done in love. I pray that we may take Paul's final word in this letter and make it our starting word this week.

Let all that you do be done in love.