| Corinthians 13:13 New International Version (NIV)
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Good morning!
I thought I was done with “love” for a while but I couldn’t pass this up. Scripture after scripture tells us to love, so why do we find it so hard to do?
Granted, some people just aren’t very lovable. Sad as it is, it’s true. But then, I think about Jesus. His love and compassion surpassed everything else! On occasion, we saw righteous anger, but He always loved. No matter their race, what they looked like, what disease they had or what their past was.
Have you ever been tempted (maybe more than tempted) to say “I am not worthy or I’m not good enough for His love!” I know I have!
But then you read about Saul (Paul) or the woman at the well. Look at the apostles or so many of the “chosen ones”. He chose them deliberately and with a purpose. He also chose me, and you, for a special purpose in this thing we call life. We may not see it, but if we let Him lead our lives, His purpose will be accomplished.
He loved us and had a plan for us long before we were formed in our mother’s womb. He created us and will ALWAYS love us! Throughout your day, look at people differently. Look at them as a child of God. They may have problems, but most of us do. They also may have pain that we have no clue about. Love, as He loves us.
Pray Unceasingly!!
In His light,
Lois
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Without Love, You’ve Wasted Your Time
Rick Warren
“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1 NIV).
Love is our greatest aim in life because we were put here on earth to learn to love God and others. The Bible makes it clear in the first few verses of 1 Corinthians 13 why love is the most important value.
Without love, all that you say is ineffective. “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1 NIV). Words without love are just noise. People resent and reject unloving words. But they will listen and respond to words spoken in love.
Without love, all that you know is incomplete. “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge . . . but do not have love, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2 NIV). The world is exploding with information and knowledge. Yet many of our most basic problems are not being solved, because the world is not looking for more knowledge. The world is looking for love.
Without love, all that you believe is insufficient. “If I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2 NIV). Many people have the misconception that being a Christian is just about believing certain truths and doctrines. But do you love Jesus? Do you realize he loves you? Christianity is about experiencing the love Jesus has for you and learning how to love like him.
Without love, all that you give is insignificant. “If I give all I possess to the poor . . . but do not have love, I gain nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:3 NIV). There are all kinds of motivations for giving, including obligation or prestige or guilt. Just because you give doesn’t mean you’re doing it in love. You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.
Without love, all that you accomplish is inadequate. “If I were burned alive for preaching the Gospel but didn’t love others, it would be of no value whatever” (1 Corinthians 13:3 TLB). You can have all kinds of great accomplishments. You can even sacrifice your life for the greatest cause in the world—the Kingdom of God—but without love, it’s wasted effort.
You can have the eloquence of an orator, the knowledge of a genius, the faith of a miracle worker, the generosity of a philanthropist, and the dedication of a martyr. But if you don’t love, it doesn’t count.
The good news is that you can love others because God first loved you. Jesus says that as you live within his love, he will help you to love others. When you draw closer to him, your ability to love will increase—he makes it possible for you to live out the calling to love others.
