Our scripture this morning is 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.
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.
Many of you may notice I use the verse of the day and the corresponding image from The Bible App (youversion.com) as the scripture for my posts. Sometimes these seem to repeat, but I have found that we often need to hear things several times before we get it. I have also found that if something is repeated in scripture, it is very important that we learn it.
Paul describes love in many ways to help us understand there are many ways to share God’s love. He lists attributes, actions and responses in the hope we will see just how important love is to our salvation. Without love, we cannot connect to God or each other.
In this letter he teaches about our different spiritual gifts and how they fit together to accomplish God’s purpose in the world. These are the tools of the kingdom, given to us to use as we spread the Good News. As important as these gifts are, without love they are useless. Love is the fuel for our discipleship.
Jesus taught that loving God and one another is the most important thing of all, the Greatest Commandment. He tells us “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:40). When we learn this and make it part of our lives, we can see things as God intends and use our gifts with love.
Heavenly Father, from Your love we were created. Help us to show Your love to all the world. Amen.
