Our reflections for the next 13 weeks will be based on 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 and will be personal testimonies of how this passage has impacted the writers personally. We encourage our readers to first spend time in lectio divina for the given weekly verse before reading the reflection.
Listen:
“If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” (1 Corinthians 1:2)
Reflect:
Over the past seven years the Holy Spirit has increasingly shaped my spiritual life by broadening my understanding of Him through prophetic dreams, visions and prayers. This “gift” emerged after a season of deep rewiring in my heart, mind and goals, ultimately leading me to a call of full-time ministry to the local church a few years ago.
There were some weeks when dreams would come nightly, some months when they would come weekly, and some seasons where there would be one or two dreams total. When I first experienced God revealing certain very specific and relevant truths to me through these encounters, I was tempted to hold this knowledge as the fuel to my faith and my future, and find ways to speak it. But as Paul reminds us later in his first epistle to the Corinthians, knowledge will pass away, prophecies will pass away; and they only give us humans partial understanding anyways (v.8-9).
It is love that never ends. So now when I receive a word about something, or God grants me a dream or vision, I hold those pieces as a prayer. And I remember that in addition to Jesus being the Prophet who is the ultimate messenger of truth to people, He was also the Priest. And a Priest is the bridge, the mediator, the one who stands in the gap for those sitting in sin and desperate for help. He is the ultimate sacrifice, and that helps me remember that there is no replacement for exemplifying that sacrifice of love to the sheep in my care. Being with someone in their pain is far more effective than telling someone they have pain.
Prayer of Response:
“Lord, there is no gift and no knowledge greater than that of being consumed by your Love. Fill us with that great Love, and help us to share it with unrelenting abandon. Amen.”
Questions to Ponder:
- Do you ever get caught up in the “gifts” God has given you or “knowledge” he has bestowed on you?
- What areas in your life keep you from loving those around you?
Breath Prayers:
Join us in praying breath prayers each day. We invite you to write your own as well.
Inhale(Breathe in): I receive your truth, Lord
Exhale(Breathe out): And dispense it with Grace
(Repeat)
—Submitted by: Christy Cooper
Christy and her husband Mathew live in the Los Angeles area with two precious (human) daughters and one rambunctious beagle-mix named Winnie Evangeline! Christy is a lover of God’s presence and a pursuer of His truth. Currently, she serves as the Director of Next Gen: Children & Families at her church in Pasadena, CA.