1 Corinthians 13
The first thing I thought of after reading 1 Corinthians 13……who stood up and read this at my wedding?? I can’t be the only one that thought about weddings! Second thing I thought of and went straight to spotify to play for some inspiration…..Alan Jackson – Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning? Heck, I just listened to it again. That song in itself can be the summary of this chapter!
Paul reminds us all that without LOVE, nothing else matters. Love is patient, love is kind. I was told to be patient and kind as young as I can remember. My wife still tells me that today. We tell our kids that. Love doesn’t envy or boast meaning don’t show off or resent other people. Again, things and principles we were told growing up and what we continue to tell our children. I feel like from now on I should say to my kids each day on the way out the door, “First Corinthians, chapter 13!”, but it doesn’t quite have that ring to it.
I think the word love can be abused, overused, taken advantage of. We need that reminder of what the bible says it means and Paul does that here. Many things like knowledge, prophecy, and spiritual gifts are temporary. But LOVE is eternal. Someday, when we fully understand everything and see God face-to-face, we’ll realize love was the most important thing all along.
We all certainly know what love is and what it means when it comes to our loved ones or special events like the birth of a newborn or the day we get married. But what Paul does here is go a little deeper and reminds us about that Alan Jackson type of love that we need to show towards everyone. It is not just about the love on the good days and people that are close to you but also the love on the not so good days and everyone else in the world.
Country music fan or not, I urge everyone to listen to that song at least once today and reflect on where and how you show your love to those around you and those far away.
Faith, Hope and Love will always matter, but LOVE is the greatest. It is the foundation of real relationships, real growth, and real faith.