1 Corinthians 13 (4)

Pray Psalm 142.1-3.
I cry out to the LORD with my voice;
With my voice to the LORD I make my supplication.
I pour out my complaint before Him;
I declare before Him my trouble.
When my spirit was overwhelmed within me,
Then You knew my path.
In the way in which I walk
They have secretly set a snare for me.

Sing Psalm 142.1-3 (5, 6).
(Dix: For the Beauty of the Earth)
With my voice, O LORD LORD, I cry—hear my plea for mercy, LORD!
My complaint mounts up on high, bringing You my troubled word:
Refrain vv. 5, 6
LORD, You are my Refuge strong! O receive my plaintive song!

When my spirit faints away, You my falt’ring pathway know;
where I take my journey they traps have hidden to my woe.
Refrain

Read 1 Corinthians 13.1-10; meditate on verses 9, 10.

Preparation
1. How many of us “know in part”?

2. When will all our gifts be made perfect?

Meditation
Paul implies caution and of encouragement in these words. We’re all a work in progress. None of us is perfect in any of the gifts the Lord supplies. We can always improve, and we must not become discouraged because we keep stumbling over the same old obstacles and impasses. Press on!

And don’t look down at others who don’t have your gifts or who seem to be not as exercised in their gifts as they might be. They’re in progress just as we are.

For now, we in the believing community must bear in mind that we’ll probably never have all the gifts and that even the ones we have will never be complete in this life. We should therefore encourage one another, seek growth in the Lord and opportunities to serve Him, and guard against become puffed up or resenting one another. A time of perfection is coming, when Jesus returns. Then we will see Him as He is and we’ll all be like Him. Then we won’t need gifts from Him; He will be our gift to enjoy and share with others.

For now, though, we need all the gifts in strong and unified expression. So let love be our guide and let us strive together as one Body to see the rule of King Jesus coming on earth as it is in heaven.

Imperfection with contentment and striving now, perfection in glory then.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 Jn. 3.2).

“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth;
And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God,
Whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!” (Job 19.25-27).

Everything else we know in part—knowledge and prophecy—now, but one day all our partial knowledge will be full and complete. We will “see Him as He is”. What a glorious day that will be!

Our life now consists of what we know from His Word, and how we apply it to our life.
God is very gentle as He teaches us the ins and outs of living for Him.
The Law requires loving God first, then the authority figures in our growing up years, next our own families, and finally, the church, and the community-at-large.

This is the training ground for “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the uttermost end of the earth” (Acts 1.8).

If we cannot love within the basic framework of life, how can we expect to love properly the uttermost ends?

How often have we not shown love at home, but then charged out into the world to be Jesus to others? That way is not the good way, and someone always suffers: parents, siblings, spouses, and children. Home is where our heart should be first and foremost. When we have successfully accomplished that love field, we are safe to go out into other fields to share the love of Christ. But have no doubt, it will not work successfully elsewhere when it is a sham at home. Everywhere becomes a minefield of hypocrisy and failure.

But doing it God’s way, even in part, is the best and only way—the loving way that never fails. Because one day, most assuredly, our eyes will behold Him, the whole of Him and love divine. How our hearts yearn within us for that Day! “Imperfection with contentment and striving now, perfection in glory then.”

For reflection
1. In what sense is our life but a preparation for seeing Jesus and being with Him forever?

2. What can keep you from increasing in the love that never fails?

3. How should you prepare right now to show the unfailing love of God to the people you will see today?

The unity of the body consists in the fact that its many members supply the things which the other parts lack. Ambrosiaster (fl. 366-384), Commentary on Paul’s Epistles

Pray Psalm 142.4-7.
Call on the Lord to give you greater freedom from fear, sin, and self so that you can know, love, and serve Him better every day.

Sing Psalm 142.4-7.
(Dix: For the Beauty of the Earth)
LORD, look to my right and see: None takes notice of my plight.
Is there refuge left for me? Is my soul out of Your sight?
Refrain vv. 5, 6
LORD, You are my Refuge strong! O receive my plaintive song!

Hear my cry, LORD, I am low! They are strong who seek my soul.
Jesus frees from every foe; He will keep and make me whole!
Refrain

Out of prison lead me, LORD; thanks and praise to You shall be.
Righteous men armed with Your Word will Your grace bestow on me.
Refrain

T. M. and Susie Moore

The Church in Corinth needed revival. But there was much to be done before that would happen. The Church today needs revival, and the same is true for us. Our book, Revived!, can help us to discern our need for revival and lead us in getting there. Order your copy by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter, available by clicking here.