I have returned to the passage, repeatedly this morning.

“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.

Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there beknowledge, it shall vanish away.

For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.”
I Corinthians 13:1-10.

Though I have read this passage for years. It began to blossom within me as never before. I became curious as to why?

You can read or recite passages of GOD’s Word for a lifetime. It can be like an old trusted friend. Or a generational and traditional place of comfort. But as you live, when your heart can receive the insight, when your inner-ear can hear; like newly grown petals peeling slowing open, you understand and see what was imperceptible before. The liveliness of GOD’s Word aligns with the individual thirst of our hearts.

It becomes more than just a reading and morphs into giant blocks of knowledge and awareness. You see yourself. You hear the prayer of your heart being answered. You are humbled to see the flaw of your human mind and overwhelmed by the magnificence of what you are receiving from the LORD. It is a place of grief and joy.

Except to say that the passages that described the attributes of Charity were especially poignant, I will be kind and not share my new discovery with you. Not now, I am trying for brevity.

What we receive from GOD’s Word is orchestrated by the conditions of our heart. The Word finds you where you are living.

Because of its liveliness, a pure academic study will not be enough. Because of its liveliness, the SPIRIT of GOD is an absolute. Trying to understand could leave the reader with confusion, unbelief, and anger.

We need the teacher of teachers and friend to us all, to reap the full benefit of His Word. Come to the LORD for the comfort your soul desires. You can trust His heart whether you fully understand or not. The understanding and application is a part of the budding relationship. Just one more gift to each of us.

When our hearts are ready, then our hearts can receive. And what our hearts receive, will automatically elevate our minds.