11. Preaching

ASSURED TO BE

It is written like this, in Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 13, verses 1 to 7:

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling 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, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”

By faith and hope one is inferior, but by love one shows authority. By love one is lit. In this respect, one is like a match, which through faith and hope can be seen as to have ideas about how one should be and what one wants to achieve, but it is as if lit one has real abilities.

Through love one truly makes oneself known, and through love one truly does good. And love is self-reinforcing, so that each good deed does its part to make you safer and stronger in terms of faith and hope. Nothing brings joy like showing love does. Nothing else can give a sense of being important like love does, and nothing else attracts attention like a good deed does. The love we show works back on us and makes us stronger.

At the same time, one is modest in love. One is moderate, has consideration for others, and is not pretentious and concerned with fooling around. One is confident in oneself, confident in one's cause, and thus love endures everything. Through love, we make Our Lord Jesus Christ valid.