TOTD, June 18-20: All About Love from 1 Corinthians 13

Love is the Greatest

These verses from the book of Corinthians remind me how we should act and choose to love. Even it’s not easy to do so, even it will need effort and we might struggle with it, but choosing love is the best thing to do. Because God is love, and He’ll make us able to get it through. No matter how hard it is, no matter how deep is the hatred inside of us, as long as we believe that we’ll be able to stand strong when we choose love, we’ll make through some how. Love is the greatest of all. (-fon-)

If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. ³ If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

--- 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Love Is…

Let’s remind ourselves when we fell in love, either with our boyfriend/girlfriend or our spouse. What things or qualities that we made us fall so deep at that time? The smile, the look, the hair, the pretty/handsome face? Or the voice, the brain (smart/clever), or the way they treat us? Well, as we grow older, we might find that the things that made us fall in love at that time might change along the way. But, the core of love according to the verses from 1 Corinthians 13 remain unchanged. Because the act of love is about patience and kindness. It’s not about jealous, boastful, rude or proud. But all the good things in hope and endurance in every circumstances. We can get that kind of love through Christ. It’s for sure. (-fon-)

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud ⁵ or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. ⁶ It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. ⁷ Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

--- 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Love that Lasts Forever

Remember the royal wedding? We might feel deeply connected with all the ceremony. Keeping the fairy tale alive and hoping that it will last forever. Lots of Hollywood dramas keep sending the message: and they live happily ever after. But then when we look at our daily life, we might get disappointed because in real life it seemed that love that lasts forever is pretty rare. Separation, conflicts, or affairs might bring the marriage on a danger zone.

But, as Christians, we need to seek the love that lasts forever. The source of love is God Himself. If we want to enjoy that kind of love, let’s draw nearer to the source Himself. And hopefully, faith, hope, and love will be following us as we pray and seek the strength from Him. (-fon-)

Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

--- 1 Corinthians 13:13