Life Is About Relationships, Not Accomplishments

In 1 Corinthians 13:3 it says, “No matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.” (MSG)

The Bible is very clear about what really matters in life: “If you are a follower of Christ Jesus . . . all that matters is your faith that makes you love others” (Galatians 5:6 CEV).

If I don’t live a life of love, then nothing I say will matter, nothing I know will matter, and nothing I believe will matter.

And, if I don’t live a life of love, then nothing I give will matter.

“If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:3 NLT).

Love isn’t always the motivation for giving. Some people give just to get back, or out of guilt, or for control or prestige. While I can give for a lot of reasons, the Bible says if I’m not doing it out of love, then none of my giving counts.

Finally, if I don’t live a life of love, then nothing I accomplish will matter.

I can rack up an incredible list of personal achievements. I can get my picture on the cover of Fortune magazine. I can win the Nobel Peace Prize. I can have enormous accomplishments, be entrepreneur of the year, build a billion-dollar company, have incredibly great successes in my field of endeavor. But the Bible says it isn’t worth much if I don’t love.

The Bible says—God says—that life is about relationships, not accomplishments.

It’s as simple as this: I can have the eloquence of an orator, the knowledge of a genius, the faith of a miracle worker, the generosity of a philanthropist, or the achievements of a superstar, but if I don’t have love in my heart, then it is worth zero. It doesn’t count. The only thing that matters to God is this: Do I love him, and do I love other people?

One day I’ll die and stand before God. When he evaluates my life, he’s not going to look at my bank account, my list of accomplishments, or my grades. He won’t care about all my sports trophies. He’s not going to look at my endorsements or my resume.

God is going to evaluate my life on one basis: my relationships. He’s going to ask, “How much did you love me and love other people?” It’s the Great Commandment: Did I love God with all my heart, and did I love my neighbor as myself?

What will matter most then—and what matters most now—is how I express my faith through love.

Love is more important than all the spiritual gifts exercised. Great faith, acts of dedication or sacrifice, and miracle-working power produce very little without love. Love makes our actions and gifts useful. Although people have different gifts, love is available to everyone.

In summary, no matter what I say, believe or do, I`m bankrupt without love. Love is more important than all the spiritual gifts exercised. Love is what makes my actions and gives useful. What really matters is faith that makes me love others. Without it, nothing I say, know, believe, give or accomplish will matter. Relationships are more important than accomplishments.