Some of you are old enough to remember The Gong Show. The Gong Show was a 1970s version of America’s Got Talent, and like its modern descendent, it was clear that much of America really didn’t have talent. And so instead of buzzing the offending talentless performer, the judge would bang a gong. In many cases, it was about the only noise that could drown out a tortuous performance.

But 1 Corinthians 13 tells us we’re like that noisy, annoying gong when we don’t show love toward one another.

If I speak human or angelic languages but do not have love, I am a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal. – 1 Corinthians 13:1

How much of what we say to each other is just ugly noise?

As we consider our interpersonal relationships, we need to assess our noise level. We can do this by taking the 1 Corinthians 13 test. No studying required. Your heart is an open book.

Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, it is not boastful, is not conceited, does not act improperly, is not selfish, is not provoked, and does not keep a record of wrongs. Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

At first glance it just sounds all warm and fuzzy and poetic and romantic. But the test is to apply each aspect of love to your own heart. So I’ll start by asking, “Am I patient?” Honestly, maybe sometimes I am, but I often grow frustrated with people who do stupid things or don’t follow my instructions or don’t share my values or . . . I’m not sure that quality would be at the top of the list of characteristics for which people would remember me.

But what about you? Can you say of yourself that you are patient? Can others honestly say that about you? And how much would your noise level go down if you demonstrated patience? I know I would certainly be a lot quieter behind the wheel.

We’ll continue: Am I kind? On the surface, I probably rate a little better here, but I honestly do enjoy having a little fun at someone else’s expense sometimes. Sometimes I can be a bit selfish. (I still sometimes hoard chocolates.) You’re probably no different. So though people may say of us that we’re generally kind people, we still struggle with that darkness that creeps into our hearts.

Do I envy? Honestly, yes. I envy those who still have their youth and enough godliness not to regret those precious short days; I envy those with enough wealth to make short work of long honey-do lists; I envy those who have more time in which to savor the more time they have. But you also struggle there, consciously or not.

And I selfish? Been there. Easily provoked? Well, keep me away from people who provoke me, and I’m good. Do I keep a record of wrongs? Oh, yeah. I keep it in a safety deposit box. Do I find joy in unrighteousness? Only when I can say, “I told you so.” Do I rejoice in the truth? When it works for me.

Do I bear all things, believe all things, hope all things and endure all things? Oh, I’ll bear them, all right. You’ll hear me bearing them. You’ll knowing I’m enduring by the look on my face.

Do you see how convicting the love test is? That’s why it’s one I try to take regularly. Not just when I’m playing cupid to my Valentine, but on the normal days. The days when I’m faced with all the provocations I’d like to blame for bringing out the worst in me.

For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. – Luke 6:45

That noise that’s spewing out of me is like volcanic ash erupting from my very core. No one put it there. It’s just me being turned inside-out.

Here’s the good news: God is love. And if you know God through a relationship with Jesus Christ, you can be love too. If we abide in Him, and He in us, we can be filled to overflowing. But we must realize that love is a choice.

The endorphins wear off in your marital relationship. That’s simple science. But that’s where the real love kicks in. That’s when we seek the Helper whom Christ sent to apply a liberal dose of Christ to our wandering hearts.

So stop your whining about how you’re not loved the way you want to be loved. Start loving the way God wants you to love. It’s time to silence the gong.