| Ways Of Wisdom |
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1 CORINTHIANS 13:8-13
(KJV)
8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. O.K., looks like prophesies shall fail, tongues shall cease, knowledge shall vanish…but when? When that which is perfect is come; and, what is that which is perfect? Well I believe verse eight tells us, it's LOVE. LOVE is PERFECT, "LOVE NEVER FAILS". When we are walking in LOVE than the need for prophecy, tongues and knowledge will be done away with. Those things won't matter we will have become mature perfected in LOVE. The Word uses the difference between a child and a man, or the difference between walking as an immature (childlike and looking through the eyes of a child) Christian and walking as a mature (full grown and looking through the eyes of Christ) Christian, to explain further... Let's look at it this way:9 For we know in part, we prophesy in part. (We experience things in stages, so that is how we express them)
10 but when that which is perfect comes, then that which is in part, shall be done away. (When we have grown up into Him in Love, then our childlike experiences and beliefs are no longer needed)
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, and I thought as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things. (O.K., look, when I was a child I thought I knew everything there was to know about God and His Love, but after I had grown up and really experienced the Love of God in me, I released those childlike notions of what I thought, spoke and understood Love to be)
12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part but then, shall I know as I am known (As a child, what I think I am seeing is my true reflection in this mirror, but when I grew up I realized that what I thought about myself was distorted. Yes, after I have grown up the preconceived notions I had as a kid are replaced with genuine images of myself, being that I'm older and wiser)
13 but NOW abideth Faith, Hope and LOVE, these three, and the greatest of these is LOVE. (When you get right down to it, only LOVE matters; everything else will pass away and become insignificant, leaving only LOVE standing the true test of time!)
I believe that the Christian life is to be lived NOW and that God has given us the ability in Christ to experience His fullness NOW. Right here in this present life "in the Promised Land, flowing with milk and honey!" There is nothing holding us from entering in to His fullness except our own preconceived ideas of who or what He is. Find out from Him. Search these things out. I pray God Himself to reveal to you the TRUTH, The REAL TRUTH, and not what we think, but what HE SAYS! |