ORRIN MORRIS: Without love, all our good works are meaningless

COMMON ST. JOHNSWORT Hypericum perforatum

The Apostle Paul wrote to the young church in Corinth that all our generosity and sacrifice for good are useless if the motive is not love. “… if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:3).

To fight injustice, tyranny and the exploitation of the poor are noble causes; however, without love these efforts result in zero. Some of the most angry people I have known are self-righteous crusaders who hate their opponents. On the other hand, some of the most successful advocates of change are those who lovingly relate to their opponents personally. The ultimate example of this principle was given by Jesus when He said, “… whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:39b).

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Orrin Morris has retired from writing his column. This column previously appeared in July 2017.

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