Is Your Life Making Noise or Music?
Have you ever been in the room where someone was trying to play an instrument but it was more like they were making noise? My parents suffered through that with me when I was learning to play the violin as a kid. The first few weeks (and months) were just screeches and scratches, basically more like noise than music. Fortunately, I did eventually learn to play songs and make music.
There is a famous chapter on love in the Bible, in 1 Corinthians 13, and it warns us that our life can sound more like noise than music, if love isn’t at the root of what we say and do.
Listen to these challenging words written by the apostle Paul. He writes:
“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:1–2)
The evidence of Christian maturity is not measured by any spiritual gift you may have, but rather in the extent to which you love Jesus and others with the love of Jesus. You see, there’s spiritual gifts and then there’s spiritual maturity, and they are different. You can have a spiritual gift, and use it, but if you’re not showing love in word and deed, then you’re immature. When what we do isn’t driven by love, we are just making noise. However, when love for Jesus and others is at the heart of what we say and do, then our life becomes a beautiful song of praise to God.
