Accentuating the Lesser

Reflections for this date are based on the following scripture passages:
1 Corinthians 13	1 Corinthians 14	Leviticus 14	Leviticus 15	Psalms 45

We humans are often inclined to accentuate things of lesser importance while giving little heed to the more important. Why is this? Because often the more important requires greater effort, is less entertaining, or brings little attention. As a general rule, though, the benefits we enjoy from these things of lesser importance to which we give our greater attention and effort have ever decreasing return. The benefits being, for the most part, temporary. The opposite could be said for the things of greater importance that we are inclined to ignore. The benefits are ever increasing and permanent.

In 1 Corinthians 13 and 14, Paul was making this point about spiritual gifts and also about spiritual gifts compared to fruit of the spirit. The Corinthians to whom he was writing were making a mockery of spiritual gifts which are intended to build the church. In their case, however, the use of the gifts was tearing down the church. They were focusing on the more exciting gifts and those that brought greater attention to themselves while ignoring those gifts that brought less personal glory or excitement but were of greater benefit to the church. Not only were they vying for attention by attempting to exercise the more attention-getting gifts, they were exercising these gifts all at once in an effort to be heard or noticed over others. It was a rather chaotic scene.

While Paul, in 1 Corinthians 12, pointed out that some of the less attractive gifts were often of greater benefit, in chapters 13 and 14 he emphasized that fruit of the Spirit is of greater importance than Spiritual gifts. If love, for example, is not present in the use of a gift, that gift loses its usefulness. Furthermore, there will come a time when all gifts will cease, but love and hope and other spiritual fruit will not.

Paul is saying to us in these passages, "Build up your use of the spiritual gifts you have been given, but don't ignore the fruit of the spirit we should all have." If we give greater attention to the spiritual fruit, that is, spiritual graces, spiritual gifts will be a natural outflow of those spiritual graces. As we exercise love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, etc, the natural channel through which they flow will be our spiritual gifts.