Daily Devotion

“True virtue does not lie in the occasional performance of external behavior, but in "selfless love for the whole of existence" and must ultimately return to the glory of God; if a person's virtue does not come from love for God, even if it seems noble to humans, it is not true virtue.”

Jonathan Edwards · The Nature of True Virtue

Scripture

1 Corinthians 13:3 If I give all I have to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but have not love (ἀγάπη (agápē)), it profits me nothing.

Reflection

True virtue isn't occasional good deeds, but rather stems from selfless love for God and all creation. Paul reminds me that even if I give everything I have to help the poor, or even sacrifice myself, these actions are not truly virtuous unless they are motivated by love for God and His glory. Are my motives often mixed with vanity and self-interest? Do I give glory to myself rather than to God? In silence, I ask the Lord to enlighten me, so that I can learn to love God as my starting point and glorify Him as my goal.