The greatest gift is love, Paul writes as he ends 1 Corinthians chapter 13. 13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.[1]Love is at the very heart of God and His interaction with humanity. John 3:16 For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only …
Paul tells us we will see perfectly in heaven in 1 Corinthians chapter thirteen, but that is not so on this earth. Paul is not talking about physical eyesight but how we understand spiritual things in this lifetime. In this lifetime, Paul tells us it is like looking through an imperfect mirror, especially in connection …
Becoming mature in the faith is not easy, but it dramatically affects our lives and interactions with others. As Paul writes his letter to the church in Corinth, it is to address problems in the church. One of the problems he was working through was people not loving others when using their spiritual gifts. Speaking …
When do the gifts end? Paul speaks of the end of the gifts, but can we tell the timing of this end from 1 Corinthians 13? Some streams of Christianity contend that gifts such as tongues, prophecy, and words of knowledge have already ceased. Other parts of Christianity say that these gifts continue to this …
Love is an action, and I believe Paul wanted the Corinthians to act in love. They boasted about their gifts and acted rudely toward each other. Love would humble them and allow them to promote others. If we love others, we are concerned about their needs and less preoccupied with our rights. They envied what …
Spiritual gifts without love are meaningless because love is the heart of all spiritual gifts. In our body, the heart makes everything work properly, like a motor in a machine. If our heart stops, the rest of the body will also cease to function. In 1 Corinthians 12:8-11 we learn spiritual gifts are the ability …
When I was picking scripture readings for our wedding, I found one entitled the Love Chapter. It said some fantastic things about love, and I could see that following what it said would benefit our marriage. 1 Corinthians 13 is often read at weddings for this reason. At the time, I didn’t know about interpreting …
People trust many things, but David was trusting God’s love. Psalm 13:5a But I trust in your unfailing love.[1] The word used for love here is the Hebrew word hesed. There is no English equivalent, and often translators use blended words to give a better understanding. These combinations are loyal love, steadfast love, faithful love, …
Having a loving father is a gift from the Lord and something I am very thankful for. Growing up, you may not have experienced a loving earthly father, but you have always had a loving heavenly Father. There is something special about being in God’s family. In the Lord’s family, you are accepted, highly favored, …
I believe your view of God influences worship. Why? If you think God is a mean, greedy being to be appeased, you will worship only to placate Him. You will not want to spend time or do more than is required. But, if you think God loves you, has a plan for your life, and …