Catching Fire: The Power of Our WordsSample

The apostle Paul is probably the most famous Christian of all time—and the one most responsible for the spread of the gospel in the known world at the time. Paul used his words in speaking and writing to introduce people to the message of Jesus and to continue to build up their faith even when challenged. Given his dependence on words and their use, that makes what he wrote in this passage from 1 Corinthians that much more powerful. Words in and of themselves just don’t matter if there isn’t love that backs them up. Paul could have easily just gotten by on his communication style, on his compelling speeches, and on the way he could deliver the truth.

But Paul knew the gift of speech wasn’t the point—that’s not the end game. The point is love. The point is the place it comes from. The point is: where are the words springing from? Paul was saying our words need to spring from love, and if they don’t, they don’t mean anything. So, what if instead of focusing so much on what we say, we focused on where those words come from? How can we foster love so our words reflect it?