1 Corinthians 13

I’ve been praying a lot about love lately. One of my number one frustrations is the lack of love I see everywhere, but mostly the lack of love I see flowing from myself. And so I have turned to this chapter for insights. I have been asking God to guide my prayers for increased love through His words in this chapter. Here are some of the truths I am learning more deeply:

 

• Love is more important than amazing spiritual gifts. Some of today’s church is driven by spiritual gifts. Some of today’s church rejects the spiritual gifts. But I have never been to a church that doesn’t value something about spirituality. Some churches could do away with everything except amazing preaching – they’ve gotta have it. Other churches emphasize prayer and answers to prayer. Some focus on deep, deep faith. According to this chapter, it doesn’t matter what the spiritual focus is: if love is absent, everything else is worthless.
• Love is more important than amazing accomplishments. You would think that giving all my possessions to feed the poor is love. But Paul says no, not necessarily. It can be an event, an activity done without love to prove my own goodness. Without love, it’s no good! And the same goes for self-sacrifice. I might be faithful in the face of severe persecution without love for the people persecuting me. Worthless! I could build a $10 million church building for God’s people. I could eradicate poverty. But that’s not necessarily love. My actions and accomplishments may look like love. But this chapter reminds me that love is more than doing good things. Love is about my concern for other people, the way I value and honor them, the hope I have for them, my desire to see them healthy and secure and righteous. If I do good without caring for people like this, it’s worthless.
• Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, 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. All of these things sound great. Until the end, where it says that love never fails. Love never fails to be patient, kind, without envy or boasting or pride. Love never fails to be polite, without selfish ambition, SLOW to anger (really, really slow), forgetting wrongs. Love never applauds evil, never struggles against truth. Love never fails to protect, never fails to trust, never fails to hope, never fails to persevere. Never. That’s not me. I fail all too frequently. I’ve failed today a couple of times. I really, really need to grow in loving people.

 

Father, teach me and all Your children that this very simple thing is the most important. We need to love absolutely! Without fail! Father, forgive us. We fail so often. I fail so often. Forgive me. Thank You for loving me this way. For being patient and kind toward me, even when I have been spiteful or apathetic. Thank You for not boasting or being prideful. Although You deserve all honor and glory, and You have said so honestly, You also humbled Yourself by allowing Your own glorious Son to live as a man and be killed by men – without lifting a finger against us. Thank You for not being rude toward me and insulting me, though I deserve Your insults. Thank You that You are not a self-seeking God, but that You have sought Your Son’s good and have glorified Him by making Him the Redeemer of all creation. Thank You that in this way You have also sought my good, bringing me into Your family to share in Your glory rather than hoarding it all to Yourself – as You deserve. Thank You that You have been slow to anger with me, that You have not kept a record of my wrongs. Thank You that You do not want me or anyone else to perish because You do not delight in evil. Thank You for rejoicing in the truth and proclaiming it so freely – the truth that You save people. Thank You for always protecting, always trusting (probably not me, but Your Son, and me in Him), always hoping, and always persevering. Thank You for putting up with me gladly. You are truly love. Conform me.