The Greatest of These, is Love
“Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love - but the greatest of these is LOVE.” 1 Corinthians 13:13
Recently when I meditated on this passage, I was initially surprised that faith is not the “greatest of these.” I thought surely it should preexist the others. But I suppose I can have faith in the Gospel of Christ, but not be in a personal, loving relationship with Him. Or I can have great personal faith and be in that intimate relationship with Jesus, but fail to take that love outside of myself and into the world. 1 Cor. 13:2 says if I have faith that can move a mountain and I don't have love, I am nothing. I have been selfish, hiding my talent and gaining nothing for the kingdom, and the Lord is not pleased.
Knowledge, belief, even hope, without relationship cannot yield the rich, fulfilling life that we were meant to have. But, LOVE. When I embrace His love for me, I am empowered to love myself and others well. When I experience the fullness of His love, I am compelled to share it. 1 Corinthians 13:7 says that love by God's definition keeps us from giving up, keeps our faith strong and our heart hopeful, and enables us to endure every circumstance. That is a meaningful, authentic love that we desperately need in this life. I believe we were made with a void that only that kind of love can fill. (Thus the desperation and depravity in our world today.) Far beyond a romantic love or the love of a parent if you are so blessed, this love is being seen, known to your core, fought for, waited for, hoped for, and accepted and challenged at the same time.
God has shown us a picture of His love for us with our progression as human beings. Like a newborn child, we bring nothing to the table but needs and messes. He loves us simply for our being, not for anything we can offer. Like a toddler, we have little in the way of wisdom or skill, yet we insist on doing things our own way. We blow through life like a tornado and after the destruction, we run to our Father to fix it. Like a teenager we believe our Father's ways restrict our freedom, holding us back from the life we want. We decide when to follow His lead and when to make our own path. When we rebel, we are slower to return to Him with our regret and shame. Though He is delighted to welcome us back into His embrace, He will not infringe on the likely consequences we suffer for our actions.
We have so much to learn, and so much we are incapable of understanding. 1 Corinthians 13:12 says that what we can see now is like a reflection in a mirror, but "then," face to face. Then, we will know fully as we are fully known. We will have a complete understanding of His love for us. I long for that day. But for now, let us continue to seek Him, to seek this close, personal love He offers. Let us beg for Him to open our hearts so that we can receive and in turn, pour out this life-giving love. It is literally, square ONE.
Recently when I meditated on this passage, I was initially surprised that faith is not the “greatest of these.” I thought surely it should preexist the others. But I suppose I can have faith in the Gospel of Christ, but not be in a personal, loving relationship with Him. Or I can have great personal faith and be in that intimate relationship with Jesus, but fail to take that love outside of myself and into the world. 1 Cor. 13:2 says if I have faith that can move a mountain and I don't have love, I am nothing. I have been selfish, hiding my talent and gaining nothing for the kingdom, and the Lord is not pleased.
Knowledge, belief, even hope, without relationship cannot yield the rich, fulfilling life that we were meant to have. But, LOVE. When I embrace His love for me, I am empowered to love myself and others well. When I experience the fullness of His love, I am compelled to share it. 1 Corinthians 13:7 says that love by God's definition keeps us from giving up, keeps our faith strong and our heart hopeful, and enables us to endure every circumstance. That is a meaningful, authentic love that we desperately need in this life. I believe we were made with a void that only that kind of love can fill. (Thus the desperation and depravity in our world today.) Far beyond a romantic love or the love of a parent if you are so blessed, this love is being seen, known to your core, fought for, waited for, hoped for, and accepted and challenged at the same time.
God has shown us a picture of His love for us with our progression as human beings. Like a newborn child, we bring nothing to the table but needs and messes. He loves us simply for our being, not for anything we can offer. Like a toddler, we have little in the way of wisdom or skill, yet we insist on doing things our own way. We blow through life like a tornado and after the destruction, we run to our Father to fix it. Like a teenager we believe our Father's ways restrict our freedom, holding us back from the life we want. We decide when to follow His lead and when to make our own path. When we rebel, we are slower to return to Him with our regret and shame. Though He is delighted to welcome us back into His embrace, He will not infringe on the likely consequences we suffer for our actions.
We have so much to learn, and so much we are incapable of understanding. 1 Corinthians 13:12 says that what we can see now is like a reflection in a mirror, but "then," face to face. Then, we will know fully as we are fully known. We will have a complete understanding of His love for us. I long for that day. But for now, let us continue to seek Him, to seek this close, personal love He offers. Let us beg for Him to open our hearts so that we can receive and in turn, pour out this life-giving love. It is literally, square ONE.
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