Wake, O Sleeper!
May 11, 2022·Jessica Higareda
Hi, Church! In this week’s Pause reading plan, we’re in 1 Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
1 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
Have you ever driven to a destination and when you arrive, you have no idea how you got there, like you can’t really remember the details of your commute? That’s something they call “highway hypnosis” — it means our minds have been occupied with other things while driving, like when listening to a podcast, NPR, or a song. But thankfully, our minds are still able to navigate the road with caution, and we still arrive safely despite not knowing how that was possible. I believe that’s the muscle memory we develop, especially if it’s a drive we’re constantly making.
Sometimes we go about life the same way we go about driving… we fall into this “highway hypnosis,” we kind of just sit back and relax. But what 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 is telling us is, we can serve, give, sacrifice, preach, sing, know Scripture from top to bottom all we want, but if we’re not loving others, then we’ve done nothing. We’ve gained nothing!
One of the greatest and first commandments God gives us is to love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. And the second is to love your neighbor as yourself.
So, if there’s something we do today, let’s do it with love.
Jessica A. Higareda
