Worthy Advice

"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love." — 1 Corinthians 16:13-14

I went to a wedding yesterday. Those are incredible times of celebration ad fellowship, but they also tend to make you think about your own life and connections. I remember going to weddings before I met my wife. I saw the joy, the love, and the connection of the couple, and I yearned for that in my life.

Now, when I see all that, it makes me grateful for the woman God put in my life. It's a time to reflect on the blessing in my own life and in my own journey, as we celebrate the foundation of that same joy for others.

Another thing I love about weddings is hearing the text that the couple chooses. Yesterday, it was a text from 1 Corinthians. That's a common book to chose from, but the text they chose was uncommon, and beautiful.

1 Corinthians is a popular book, and chapter 13 — known as the love chapter — is very popular at weddings. It's a powerful and important passage, but it's also become common. Sometimes I think it loses its meaning because we hear it so often.

But 1 Corinthians, much like all Paul's letters, is full of beautiful, inspiring words, from beginning to end. In chapter 16, as he's wrapping up the letter, Paul has some worthy advice for his audience, which includes us hundreds of years later. He says to be on guard, stand firm in faith, be courageous, and be strong.

He ends the short advice with these words — "Do Everything in love." That was the verse the couple chose as the focus for their wedding ceremony and, hopefully, for their married life. Do everything in love. It's beautiful, it's simple, and it's key. It was a beautiful reminder of what our life of faith is really all about.