Day 1,073: 1 Corinthians 13- The More Excellent Way

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Meditation
The gospel frees us to encounter and show God’s always and forever love.
 
Love is the more excellent way, the worthiest pursuit. Agápe is the Greek word for love, used nine times here and usually used to emphasize the Father’s love for the Son and God’s covenant love for His people. We know love because God is love and He first loved us (1 John 4:7-19), demonstrating His love in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8-10).
 
We commonly get warm, fuzzy feelings when hearing this chapter, associating it with weddings. But the Corinthian church hearing this description of love would have felt rebuked because love had left their fellowship. Rather than loving and edifying one another, Corinthian Christians were elevating different spiritual gifts, and causing division by marginalizing Christians they felt were “weaker.”
 
The gospel solution is to receive love as a more excellent way, the worthiest pursuit for God’s people.
 
The most commendable actions executed without love equal nothing (1-3). Love is something flowing from your life evidenced by behavior, personified here with sixteen action verbs (4-8a). Love is not a spiritual gift but essential fuel to steward the gifts God has given. Love is more important than any gift. When we live in love we are participating in God’s eternal character. Love never ends, lasting into the age to come (8b-13).
 
Jesus fully sees us, fully knows us, and deeply loves us. Through Christ, we know the love of God and when we love we participate in His eternal love.
 
Richly Dwelling
-Does your life show you believe love to be the most excellent way?
 
-What stands out to you about love described in this passage? Is it a rebuke or a welcome invitation?
 
-Jesus is the personification of love. How does His love for you both form you and fuel your love for others? Take a moment to ask Jesus to open your eyes more and more to His love.
 
Key Verse
13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.