Love Alone Counts
By Marcel Rebiai
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-2
It’s only natural for us to link our success to our own opportunities and abilities, so we always strive to expand them. We often think that if our faith were stronger, or if we were more convincing at speaking, it would be easier to bear witness for Jesus. We believe that if only we could better understand the path God has for us, it would be easier for us to accept it. If only we could perform great signs and miracles, we could persuade so many people, colleagues and relatives to turn to Christ.
However, these thoughts fail to grasp the reality of God’s kingdom. The secret of God’s kingdom is that it is primarily built upon our love and devotion to Him and to our brothers and sisters. Jesus came to seek the lost; He never exhausted all His powers, because He wanted to win the hearts of people for the Father. He didn’t want to convince them with His superiority or limitless abilities – this is why most of His miracles were performed in private, not in public. For love does not calculate; it hopes, waits, endures and believes.
God builds His path to people through our hearts, not through our talents and abilities. If we pour out our limited gifts and opportunities for Jesus, then He will create lasting fruit in the most impossible, remote and unlikely situations. Our love for Jesus justifies any effort and any cost. What happens out of this love is always efficient – because it endures for all eternity.
This devotional is taken from the book To See God by Marcel Rebiai. If you would like to order your own copy, please email us here, [email protected].
Marcel Rebiai is a board member of Revive Israel, and is inspiration for our community. Marcel was born in Algiers in 1953. He came to Switzerland as a war orphan and received faith in Jesus in his youth, which changed his life and made him a messenger of God’s love in Jesus. Since then, he has been faithfully working for the building of the community of Messiah. Marcel is the founder of the “Community of Reconciliation”, an organization that works for reconciliation between Jews and Arabs based on God’s forgiveness and love in Christ. Marcel teaches in various settings around the world about the love that God revealed to us in Jesus, a love that enables reconciliation. Marcel has been living in Jerusalem for the last 30 years, is married to Regula, and has four children and eleven grandchildren.
