Face to Face - All The LORD is near Daily Devotionals for 2025

The LORD is near - Thursday, November 14, 2024
by Jacob Redekop, Brian Reynolds, John van Dijk, Eugene P. Vedder Jr

Details

Face to Face

For we see now through a dim window obscurely, but then face to face; now I know partially, but then I shall know according as I also have been known.
1 Corinthians 13:12 JND

Face to Face
The Corinthians were richly endowed with spiritual gifts (1:5), but they were using them to elevate themselves. Here, Paul shows that love is sacrificial in its attitude and behavior towards others. It must motivate us in our use of the gifts if this is to be worthy of God.

Love never breaks down. In contrast, even the greater gifts (12:31) will fail: prophecies will be ended when nothing more is to be fulfilled; knowledge in the form we acquire it today will no longer be needed when we know perfectly all that God wants us to know. In passing, Paul mentions the gift of tongues, the ability to speak known languages without learning them, which was so prized by the Corinthians. This sign gift to unbelievers (14:22) would cease of its own accord, which happened in the first century. The modern tongues-speaking we hear about so much today is not seen in Scripture.

Paul uses himself as an illustration. When he was a child, he spoke, felt, and thought immaturely; when he became an adult, he was done with childish things. Similarly, if we have bad eyesight, our vision is limited by the kind of lens we need to see clearly; if our eyesight is perfect and we are right in front of something, we see it with complete clarity. This is what “face to face” means: to perfectly experience the immediate presence of God (Jude 24). We will know as we are known (1 Cor. 13:12)—not everything, which is impossible for finite beings even in heaven, but all we need to know to enjoy God’s presence. This surpasses the blessing even the spiritual gifts bring now.

But praise God for His love, which pervades those heavenly courts above. Love never changes though we will be changed (15:51). When our Lord brings us home to the Father’s house, the love that fills that wonderful place will be a well-known love.

-- Simon Attwood

More From Our Daily Devotional Archives

Open Heavens
for Monday, December 2, 2013
by Pastor E.A Adeboye

ANY QUERY FROM SATAN?

A divine midwife must be in control of his or her choices and ensure that they are God-centred and not self-centred. They must be ready to take decisions even when it hurts them. They must also be prepared to respond to Satans...More

And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and...

The LORD is near
for Friday, December 6, 2013
by Jacob Redekop, Brian Reynolds, John van Dijk, Eugene P. Vedder Jr

And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and...

And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son. Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing: For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; ...More

The LORD is near
for Tuesday, December 10, 2013
by Jacob Redekop, Brian Reynolds, John van Dijk, Eugene P. Vedder Jr

Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
(2 Peter 3:18)

God in His grace has centered every blessing for us in Christ. Without Christ, we have nothing, nothing but our sins; with Christ we have all things, and therefore want nothing in addition to Christ. As...More

Open Heavens
for Friday, January 10, 2014
by Pastor E.A Adeboye

SPIRITUAL WARFARE I

When we are told to put on the whole armour of God, one thing becomes clear instantly. This is the fact that there is a God. We cannot be talking of the armour of God if there is no God. Anyone who thinks that there is no God is a fool (Psalm 14:1). You have to pray that God would reveal Himself to you. The...More