Without Love, I Am Nothing

“Holiday Bible Club”
At first, I had no idea what these three words meant. Quickly, however, my mission trip coordinator explained that we were doing a “VBS of sorts” for the kids we would be serving in Soweto and Johannesburg, South Africa.
Our Holiday Bible Club was limited. We took a parachute, three kick balls, and two Frisbees for rec, told a ten minute Bible story, and gave out stickers and oranges for the kids to eat as they walked back to their homes. Throughout these activities, one thing stayed at the forefront of our minds: We would love these kids because Jesus loves us.
Throughout the week, we saw delight splashed across dozens of little African faces, and our faces responded the same. We witnessed excitement as kids raised their hands to answer who told Eve to eat the fruit and where Jesus was born. And we watched hope envelop hearts as we explained the true story of Christ’s death and resurrection.
You’ve witnessed this exact thing. You – as VBS directors, kids ministers, parents, and volunteers – know that the secret behind a successful church event is not the perfect combination of curriculum, schedule, and snacks. The secret is love.

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Sometimes when I’m writing, I get aggravated at myself for using verses that seem to be “cliché.” But the truth of the matter is – nothing from the Bible should ever be considered trite or overused. So today, I’ll end with a verse that is well known, full of truth, and life-altering, but anything but cliché.
“If I speak human or angelic languages but do not have love, I am a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I donate all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body in order to boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-3