His Presence

The "Verse of the Day" on my blog yesterday was 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

"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."

I am now in Exodus in my daily Bible reading. Chapter 33 tells of the Lord speaking face to face with Moses, verse 15-16 says:

"And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth."

Those two passages collided in my mind! I've heard many messages from 1 Corinthians 13, going and doing just for the sake of going and doing, without love in our lives. But we can't have real love without His presence! All of our busyness will profit us nothing without His presence. When we find grace in His sight, then we can go forward, knowing His presence is with us. We love the unlovable because of His presence. There are all kinds of love, and we're hearing a lot about it this week, but the love that makes a difference is the love that is accompanied with His presence.