The Greatest of These

Three things will last forever - faith, hope, and love - and the greatest of these is love.

1st Corinthians 13:13 NLT

I find it interesting to discover what standard Christians use to "measure" their Christianity. Their faith, their giving, their good works, (even though we know Scripture tells us one is not good without the other - James 2:14). This chapter tells us explicitly what is the measure of our walk. Love. Without love, NOTHING else has value. 

Read on in vvs. 2 - 8.

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. 

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. 

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.

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. 

It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 

It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 

Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! 

Prayer:

Father, 

          We pray Your Word as it is written in the Message - We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about You is always incomplete. But when Jesus the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled. What a glorious promise!  But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in You, hope unswervingly, and love extravagantly. Help us to love as extravagantly as You love, Father. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen