Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
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 completeness comes, what is in part 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 the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a 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.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Devotional: In Pastor Jeff’s message this past week, he talked about the Law of Christ. The Law of Christ is how Paul referred to the command, “As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). When Jesus said these words, He was creating a group identified by love. This is very different than how we, as humans, often group ourselves. We identify by our skin color, uniform, hobby, or team that we root for. But the Church is different than that. Jesus told the Church to be identified by its love.
More specifically, we are supposed love others like Jesus loves us. So, this begs the question: What does it look like to love like Jesus? Well, Jesus’s love is unconditional, sacrificial, and eternal. His love is also holy, transcending moral purity. And the culmination of all His love is when He died on the cross for us. That is what Jesus’s love looks like, and that is how we are supposed to love others.
Our passage of Scripture from 1 Corinthians 13 today is a description of that love. Jesus’ love as it is displayed in the life of a believer, by the power of the Holy Spirit, shows itself as patient and kind. It is not envious or prideful. It is not self-seeking or easily angered. It rejoices with the truth. It never fails. We don’t naturally love with this 1 Corinthians 13 type of love. But by the power of the Holy Spirit, who is changing our hearts, we can.
So as we navigate politics and a divisive culture, let us lead with that type of love. A type of love that is patient, kind, and not easily angered. Let’s love with a love that is trustworthy and rejoices with the truth. Let’s love like Jesus.
Reflect:
- Which attribute of love listed in 1 Corinthians 13 comes most naturally for you? Which do you have to work at the most?