The greatest of these...

1 Corinthians 13.  It's a book a chapter we've all read and heard.  Even if not studied, we've been exposed to it--on t-shirts, mugs, bumper stickers....  But has it become such a "novelty principle" that we no longer analyze its deep implications?

The message:
"If I speak to people in an unfamiliar way of my faith, beliefs and God's love, but don't share my love, I am only an annoying, rambling, irritating noise to them. If I am blessed with special gifts of knowledge and spiritual wisdom to share...and if I have the strongest faith in God of any around but am not able to share pure love then I am nothing, and nothing I do means anything. If I give up everything I have for those who need it most and give my life to save others but do it without His pure Love, it gets me nowhere."
Derived from 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

So this part of the scripture says SO much!  The short of it?  "NOTHING I do means ANYTHING in this world if I don't have LOVE."  But does He mean romance?  Passion?  A deep care for something? Family?

I think all of the messages/studies I've heard on this scripture pertained to a romantic love or friendships.  And while there's nothing wrong with that I don't believe that these scriptures are referring to that...or at least not only that.  I believe that God's message here is as simple as "rule #1":  Love thy neighbor.  He wants us to be filled with Love, exude Love, ooze Love, laugh Love, hug Love and so on.  For who?  EVERYONE--no matter our differences.

Gender, age, status, race, rank, character, religion, practice....they all segregate us.  They put up walls that tear down the conduits for sharing this Love.  So is it our job to make paths for Love that aren't there?  I mean, really--I HAVE the Love; it's not my fault if I can't share it with certain others because of "the way things are."

But I think the message here says that if I do anything without expressing Love as my reasoning for doing it then it means nothing, goes nowhere, accomplishes nothing.

The message:
"The definition of His kind of Love--  What it is NOT:  envious, boastful, proud, rude, self-centered, easily angered/temperamental, unforgiving, unforgetting, and pleasured by what is wrong.  What it IS:  patient, kind, truthful, trusting, protective, hopeful and always persevering."
Derived from 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

I find it interesting that scripture uses more words to describe what Love ISN'T than it does to describe what Love IS.  Why do you think that is?  :)

What stands out here the most to me are these two parts:  "it is NOT pleasured by what is wrong" ("doesn't delight in what is evil"); and "it IS always persevering"

I find myself often with that sneaky grin on my face when I think, "Well, good--they deserved that."  Gosh that sounds awful...but come on!  You've done that too!  "What goes around comes around?"  Sound familiar?  But if we are to find no pleasure in the evil then I suppose I have more work to do, for sure. 

"Always persevering"....if I possess this Love then I should always look for ways to share it, no matter how thick the wall or large the barrier.  I am supposed to channel Love to others.  I am supposed to rebuild those conduits.  Love is supposed to battle the world.

The message:
"Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."
1 Corinthians 13:8-12


It NEVER fails?  Well, what about divorces, wars, murder....something went wrong!  The Love was lost.  Somewhere along the way actions--whether good or bad--were taken without the full meaning of Love.  And without Love, we are nothing, receive nothing, get nowhere.  Will we reach perfection?  I know I won't--not here on this earth....but one day.  In the meantime, I think I have a better idea of how to work towards it anyway. 

If as a Christian I know that I am supposed to share God's message and salvation with others while I am here on this earth, then I MUST HAVE THIS LOVE to be successful in God's eyes.  Do you have it?  Do you think before you act and speak, pray and preach?  Do you stop to check yourself each time to determine if you're acting, speaking, praying, preaching out of Love?  If so, do you stop to ensure that your Love is persevering?  Is it really getting through?  I know I have a LOT of work to do in this area!

The message:
"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
1 Corinthians 13:13

Wow.  It can't get much plainer than that.  Love is the most important.  Not our faith; not our religion, not the number of times we go to church, tithe, pray, read our Bibles, mission to others, do something for others, volunteer for a charity, hug a child, teach someone.....

So NONE of those things mean anything if they aren't done out of the Love that is described above???  Wow.  That's huge.  No more "check here to contribute to..." so I can sleep better at night.  No more "baking brownies for the church fundraiser..." UNLESS I can honestly do it/say it with complete Love in my heart and on my lips as I do it.  The kind of Love described above. 

So the GREATEST of these is Love.  More meaningful than anything else. 

My prayer:
God please help me Love people the way you do.  Let them see it in me.  Let them feel it from me.  Let them know it's from you.  Help me remember this in all that I do.  Amen!!
Thoughts to ponder...
Can you think of a way that you may be more successful and bear more fruit if you could interject more Love in a part of your life?