Love Is Patient, Love Is
Kind
If I speak in the tongues of mortals and angels, but do not have
love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 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 do not have love, I am nothing.
If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may
boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind; love is not envious or boastful
or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or
resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures
all things.
Love never ends. But as for prophesies, they will come to an
end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end.
For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; but when the complete
comes, the partial will come to an end. When I was a child, I spoke like a child,
I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put
an end to childish ways. For now we see in a mirror, dimly,
but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will
know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love
abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Paul warned us that impressive gifts and spectacular deeds may
be little more than empty noise. Our best efforts – if bereft of love – ring hollow.
No matter our age or status in life, we can strive to love
others as God loves them. We may accomplish great things in our life – gain
fame and fortune – but the greatest thing is to love. For of all that we have
done, or ever will do, only love endures. We depart, but love abides.
Our Daily Bread –