I Corinthians 14:1-40
14:1 When we are determining the intention with which we will chart life and Paul gives us the directives to do so.
- Pursue love: Our foremost objective should be to love. We spoke of the elements and branches of love in the previous chapter. Justice is love. Respect is love. Friendship and truth and kindness are all expressions of love.
- Desire spiritual gifts: When we realize that the intention of creation and of ourselves is love, we naturally desire that we may be the instruments through which it (love) can come into the world in its various forms. When we acknowledge that we have purpose and ability, we crave opportunities to be purposeful and impactful on the earth.
- Desire the gift of spiritual wisdom: Above all else desire that what is unknown be made known to you. Spirituality, an understanding of the flow and frequency of the earth and humanity. With a broadened and informed perspective, a person is spiritually invincible, able to understand and endure both triumph and tribulation around the world.
14:2-5 More than spiritual wisdom, pray and hope and work for the ability to spread and teach and inspire spiritual wisdom in others. Many have completed there lives after spending the entirety of them contemplating disparity in the world and never finding any answers or mollification. Pray for the ability to draw the order and logic and purpose out of what appears to be a chaotic happenstance (this world of ours).
Remain aware and focused on your motives, your established values and intention. You have purpose in the world, ability to impact humanity, and so with that comes a blessed opportunity. A responsibility to humanity. Pray for wisdom to share rather than for wisdom to have and use for self benefit. James 4:3 reminds us that we should pray with humility and compassion.
What you ask for others is given to you... your prayers and your work create the conditions of the world you live in.
14:6 One must be able to communicate their spiritual wisdom. The purpose of our lives is to be purposeful, in our own specific ways, and to do that we need to be able to relate to, communicate with and interact with others. If our true wealth is a spirituality, what good does is do sitting in a bank? If you have something beneficial to others, utilize it. Extend it beyond yourself. Develop and broaden your perspective in effort to be able to communicate, to share the wisdom within yourself.
14:7 In every moment, word and action of your life, live and speak and do with intention. Consider the message you are projecting into the world, because we are all projecting a message. Do not be random. Someone learning the English-language once asked me: "What is the difference between 'Sound' and Noise?'" The best I could explain was that "Noise" had a negative connotation and sound did not. So how are you living your life? Selfishly, randomly... is your life noise? Or is your life sound? Intentional, beautiful even.
14:8 Metaphorically this verse asks us: how can we expect humanity to understand us, empathize with us, communicate, work with us if we are unable to even understand ourselves? Know what your message is.
14:9 With humility and clarity know yourself and your message: what you value and why. If you do not have a message, you confuse yourself and you confuse the world. Be consistently aware and articulate through your chosen medium of communication. Work, dance, sing, play, paint, write, speak... whatever you do, do boldly, wisely, purposefully.
14:10 Even more than language, there are so many different ways of expression among humanity. For some, language is a painting or a song or a dance... every medium of expression is a communication with the world. Each is as important as the other. Yet the most important thing we must remember is to respect, value and work to interpret the communication of others. Our diverse expression is meaningful; we must empathize with each other to remember and respect our similarities.
14:11 If we are unable to communicate with each other we transition into strangers or even enemies. Our inaction, our inability to connect builds an impassable barrier (ignorance) and our similarities become more difficult to see. We must understand each other's language... metaphorically, we must learn to perceive the expression of others with empathy and open-mindedness.
14:12 Paul knows that we all desire spiritual gifts: talents and abilities to carry us toward achievement. He reminds us to establish humble and compassionate motivations for having those talents and abilities. To be purposeful with what we are blessed with.
14:13-15 No matter what you talent is, if it is spiritual wisdom, if it is the ability to paint or to play Cello or to speak... no matter what it is, pray to utilize it to change the world. That seems monumental, right? That one individual can change the world... but simply by existing, what we do impacts the world. Don't just exist... realize how instrumental you can be here and wield that power for compassion. Have the perception to understand the depth of meaning within yourself and humanity. Let your every moment be aware of the deeper meaning behind all of this.
14:16 If you are not authentically wise and humble people will not understand you on a level that is beneficial to them. Whatever wisdom or talent or character trait you have, it needs you to be intentional with it in order to be impactful.
14:17 If you pray and hope and work for yourself you help yourself but you ignore the rest of humanity. You ignore the state of your own world, of all that exists around you. Will you be happy with yourself at the end of this life if you've built yourself a mansion? Will you be happy when at the end of this life when it's time to walk out of the mansion you build yourself only to see that your neighbors lived in huts? You are so capable, able to build for yourself and others as well.
14:18-19 Paul keeps perspective: he is grateful and blessed to be able to communicate with the world. Yet Paul understands that unless what we are saying has meaning and purpose and compassion, it's just noise. Unless what we are saying is shareable, it's useless.
14:20 We might stop growing physically but we have the ability to continue to grow emotionally, spiritually, in wisdom and perspective. Grow your mind and soul. Let your focus be in spiritual growth rather than in the things which lead us into trouble (greed for more and better in all other areas).
12:21 In the Book of Isaiah 28:11-12, we are reminded that there is natural instruction in the world leading us and guiding us toward and through spiritual growth... but that it goes largely unheard. So easily we become wrapped up in things and situations which do not matter or progress us in anyway.
12:22 Creation speaks to both believers and unbelievers, extending its wisdom to each child of light and life. For nonbelievers are given nudges in the right direction. Believers step onto the moving walkways. Each are led in the best way specific to how they understand the world.
Similarly, when we speak our message, we must relay it in a way that is understandable to our audience. Be able to communicate humbly, dynamically.
12:23 Your life's message will never be understand by another person if they cannot relate to you. If what you have to say is delivered with a superiority complex or without the agility required to relate to them in order to deliver it, you will never connect.
Establish, know, and promote your values articulately, consistently, humbly, concisely so that people have the opportunity to benefit from what you have in your heart.
12:24-25 When we are able to communicate our spiritual wisdom effectively it has the opportunity and ability to change the people and world around us. How you live your life is a message spoken to humanity and honestly, your message can inspire someone to elevate their own spirituality.
14:26 No matter what you bring to the metaphorical table, whatever you contribute to life, let it be to edify. To establish and grow and promote all life.
14:27 Paul's advice here and in the following verses is specific for the establishment of churches. We must remember that communication is complex. We must be conscious of retaining the core of our message as it trickles down to different people of different ways of thought.
14:28 If you are not able to effectively communicate with someone, do not create frustration and confusion. Let each person find their smooth and easy journey toward their spiritual destination.
14:29 Do not bombard people. If you have an audience of students, be a student with them as you also listen to your cohorts speak. Again, this advice is given to those establishing churches. Yet we can also learn from Paul's advice. Be ordered, simple and efficient in delivering any message.
14:30 Let people learn on their own schedule, at their own pace. Be patient with each other as we learn and grow and ask questions and partake in trials and errors.
14:31-32 God reaches everyone and works with everyone. We each have a message to speak to the world, a message specific to our spirits within us.
14:33 God is the "author" of peace. He knows and creates every avenue necessary to reach every person hoping to grow spiritually. Look at the miraculous order around us, the science and conditions which allow and have created this earth and universe. These complex minds, bodies and souls of ours. God is precise and His precision's intention is peace for all life.
14:34-35 This is actually a mistranslated verse. The original message was that no person should chatter and gossip during a spiritual teaching. We know from the rest of the Bible that God values men and women equally, works with men and women equally, and holds the same standards for men and women... equally.
14:36-38 Be humble. All wisdom has flowed from an authentic, original source: creation. Never grow to be arrogant or proud because your wisdom and your knowledge would not have been possible if you were not created, if this earth and universe were not created for you (and you definitely had no part in that).
14:39-40 The upshot of this chapter is given in this verse: Desire spiritual wisdom and the ability to share and project it because you matter and the people and earth around you matter and deserve your best and generous efforts.
