Daily Bread 1 Corinthians 13
Daily Bread
1 Corinthians 13
Love Is the Greatest
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.[c] 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.
Observation:
1 Corinthians 13 is next to John 3:16 one of the most often quoted and known bible passages in the world. Most weddings use this text as a reading during the ceremony.
Paul’s description of “love”, the greatest of God’s gifts, is one of the most beautiful passages in the entire bible.
It is important though to remember the context of this passage is in the middle of a three chapter teaching on spiritual gifts, and how they should be used to build up the body of Christ. But it is appropriate that this teaching finds itself in the middle of the teaching on spiritual gifts as a reminder that even the greatest of these gifts, if not practiced with love, is only a noisy gong or clanging symbol.
As Paul describes this greatest gift called love, he describes what it looks like in verses 4-7. Love is an action, not a feeling. If you could insert your name every time it says “love”, it would be a good test to see if you are becoming more like Christ. To truly grow up is to put behind selfish attitudes and actions that always wants to cater to self. True love happens as we put self behind and focus on others, always putting their interests above ours.
And of course this perfectly describes our Lord, who put aside his own selfish interests to go to the cross and give himself fully on our behalf. That is why spiritual maturity, or being truly loving, equates to becoming more like Christ. Christ was love, and it was His love for us that endured suffering on a cross so that we could be made right with God.
Application:
Does this description of love describe you and your life? I don’t think we ever obtain this kind of perfect love, but I do think as we grow in Christ, that we increasingly look like Paul’s description of it. This happens in relationships with the people God has placed in our lives. Whether it be a spouse or a close friend, or our children, this is where if we are truly loving is really tested.
Ultimately all of the spiritual disciplines like praying, reading God’s word, going to church, serving etc… would all be for naught if we don’t love others. We too will be like a noisy gong or clanging symbol. Take some time to think through Paul’s definition and be honest about where you could grow in your ability to love as Paul describes it here.
It is only as we allow the Holy Spirit to lead our lives that these Christ like attitudes and behaviors become the norm for our lives. As we die to self and live for Christ, this transformed life will be the greatest testimony of what God is doing in our lives. As we react in ways contrary to the ways of the world, people will wonder why we are different. This will lead them to discover the true source of faith, hope and love within us, Jesus Christ.
Prayer: God help us to love like you did. May Your own model and example of love work in our lives to transform us from self centered people, to those who live for your glory and in service to others. Thank you Jesus for modeling this kind of love for us, when you lived on earth. You showed us what God is truly like and what we can be like if we follow you in the power of the Spirit. In Your name we pray, Amen.
1 Corinthians 13
Love Is the Greatest
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.[c] 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.
Observation:
1 Corinthians 13 is next to John 3:16 one of the most often quoted and known bible passages in the world. Most weddings use this text as a reading during the ceremony.
Paul’s description of “love”, the greatest of God’s gifts, is one of the most beautiful passages in the entire bible.
It is important though to remember the context of this passage is in the middle of a three chapter teaching on spiritual gifts, and how they should be used to build up the body of Christ. But it is appropriate that this teaching finds itself in the middle of the teaching on spiritual gifts as a reminder that even the greatest of these gifts, if not practiced with love, is only a noisy gong or clanging symbol.
As Paul describes this greatest gift called love, he describes what it looks like in verses 4-7. Love is an action, not a feeling. If you could insert your name every time it says “love”, it would be a good test to see if you are becoming more like Christ. To truly grow up is to put behind selfish attitudes and actions that always wants to cater to self. True love happens as we put self behind and focus on others, always putting their interests above ours.
And of course this perfectly describes our Lord, who put aside his own selfish interests to go to the cross and give himself fully on our behalf. That is why spiritual maturity, or being truly loving, equates to becoming more like Christ. Christ was love, and it was His love for us that endured suffering on a cross so that we could be made right with God.
Application:
Does this description of love describe you and your life? I don’t think we ever obtain this kind of perfect love, but I do think as we grow in Christ, that we increasingly look like Paul’s description of it. This happens in relationships with the people God has placed in our lives. Whether it be a spouse or a close friend, or our children, this is where if we are truly loving is really tested.
Ultimately all of the spiritual disciplines like praying, reading God’s word, going to church, serving etc… would all be for naught if we don’t love others. We too will be like a noisy gong or clanging symbol. Take some time to think through Paul’s definition and be honest about where you could grow in your ability to love as Paul describes it here.
It is only as we allow the Holy Spirit to lead our lives that these Christ like attitudes and behaviors become the norm for our lives. As we die to self and live for Christ, this transformed life will be the greatest testimony of what God is doing in our lives. As we react in ways contrary to the ways of the world, people will wonder why we are different. This will lead them to discover the true source of faith, hope and love within us, Jesus Christ.
Prayer: God help us to love like you did. May Your own model and example of love work in our lives to transform us from self centered people, to those who live for your glory and in service to others. Thank you Jesus for modeling this kind of love for us, when you lived on earth. You showed us what God is truly like and what we can be like if we follow you in the power of the Spirit. In Your name we pray, Amen.
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