| The Christian Life | July 1943 |
“Take up your cross and follow Me”
“And Have Not Love”
“Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, … and have not charity [love], it profiteth me nothing.”—I Corinthians 13:3
JESUS told the rich, young nobleman that in order to have treasure in heaven he would need to sell all that he had and give to the poor. (Matt. 19:21) It is evidently to this that Paul alludes when he says that even the doing of this would profit nothing apart from the motive of love. We are not to understand Paul to mean that Jesus made Christian discipleship too hard, and that we needn’t make sacrifices to feed the poor if we have love.
No, that’s not the thought!
What Paul is discussing is the motive that prompts Christian sacrifice and self-denial. It is conceivable that one might make great sacrifices for selfish reasons. The man who invests all he has in a hoped-for money-making project actually makes a great temporary sacrifice, but he does it in the hope of gain. Others make great sacrifices in the hope of receiving honor and praise from men. These, of course, have their reward.
The Christian is called upon to sacrifice his life and substance in the divine cause, but even here it is important that the motive be pure, that is, unselfish—the motive of love. The motive back of acceptable Christian sacrifice must be that of divine love. God loved the world, and He gave His only begotten Son that the people might have life. If we love as God did, we, too, will give, not a tenth of what we have, as the Jews were expected to do, but all, even as Jesus made clear to the young nobleman.
He makes us stewards of His goods, and the decision is ours as to how much we will devote directly to His cause, and how much we will use for ourselves and our families.
What a grand way to test the sincerity of our consecration!