The Only Thing That Counts

"The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." (Galatians 5:6) I'm trying to understand this, so, what is faith? "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." ( Hebrews 11:1) I also know from that chapter that without faith it is impossible to please God. But faith without love is nothing. "If I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing."(1 Corinthians 13:2)

The night before Jesus died He gave an illustration of what love looks like. "When Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end."(John 13:1) He laid aside his outer garments tied a towel around his waist and began to wash their feet. He told them that night that people would know who belonged to Him because His disciples would be the ones loving each other.

I've always been struck by the parallel between these two verses "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."(John 3:16) "Believing in him" is what faith is all about. "By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers." (1 John 3:16) If by faith I accept the love of God it means by faith I must also lay aside my pride and love others the way Jesus showed me.

Now my question is this what does faith have to do with love? By faith I believe that I am no longer a slave to my flesh but instead I am free to obey the law of love. So when I read that the works of the flesh are evident and that they include selfish ambition, desiring what other people have, being argumentative and outbursts of anger, just to name a few, I feel a bit sick realizing that I have myself displayed all of these traits just yesterday. Where faith comes in is that although I sin, sin no longer has dominion over me. So when I sin I confess it and by faith lay claim to the grace of God and seek to once more lay aside my pride and love others.

Lord Jesus, You have taught me that faith without love is nothing. You said that the only thing that really counts is faith expressing it's self through love. I want to be Your follower I want to love others but the truth is I often fail. Thank You that by faith I can be sure of what I hope for and confident about what I don't see that because of Your grace I can love others.