Love Is The Greatest Of All Things….

If you are a Bible reader you will certainly be familiar with chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians; also known as the LOVE chapter. Have you ever really thought about LOVE? Paul says LOVE is the greatest of all things (v13). He also says that if we spoke all the languages of the world, or interpreted all the prophecies ever told, or had all the knowledge of the world, or even had all the money in the world and gave it away, if we don’t have LOVE, we gain nothing. Did you get that? Without LOVE, we gain nothing. Another point I want to make is that LOVE does not rejoice about injustice, but it does rejoice when truth wins out. Think about that for a minute. When someone is doing wrong, living a lifestyle detrimental not only to themselves but also to others, one who loves will never say (when consequences come), “see, I told you so”. Instead they will do whatever it takes to help that person. And when that person finally sees the truth in their behavior, a person who really LOVES will rejoice because the truth wins out. Does this make sense? We, as believers, need to get out there and love on people. Speak the truth, live with integrity, and honor God with all we do. When the world sees real LOVE, it stands out, because there’s nothing like it on earth. Maybe that’s why Paul tells us that LOVE us the greatest of all. I agree. How about you?

1 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! 9 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! 10 But when full understanding comes, these partial things will become useless.11 When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. 12 Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.13 Three things will last forever–faith, hope, and love–and the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:1-13