My take on the Love chapter

God’s Word says, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.” I Corinthians 13:1-3

I am well aware that no Scripture is open to personal interpretation, so just humor me…  this is how I hear those verses:

“If I get warm fuzzies and tingles during the worship service, and the music makes me feel like God loves me and I am important,

and I can tell the church and the world everything they are doing wrong and how to fix it, and I am willing to, even though it makes them hate me,

and I can explain to you the second, third, fourth, and fifth layers of meaning under each Scripture,

and I can pray a powerful prayer that would seemingly make demons quake with fear,

and I give generously to every special offering taken up,

but…

I have superior feelings toward the person across the room who I know has a sin problem in their life;

and I do nothing to reach out or offer Christ’s love to that person or others like him or her,

and I am careful to walk on the opposite side of the road (room, church, social circle) so as not to be touched by their uncleanness;

and the hardships and difficulties they face in life seem to me to be well-deserved;

Then?  Well then…

my noise hurts God’s ears, and all of my spiritual ‘worship’ means nothing –

it hits the ceiling and bounces back –

because God opposes the proud, and I am full of pride;

because

because He desires obedience above sacrifice, and I am refusing to be obedient and demonstrate Christ’s love,

because God is Love

and without Love

I am nothing.