The Greatest of These is Love
Day 25 - April 20 / Elder Steve Hart
1 Corinthians 13:13
“So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three: but the greatest of these is love.”
Some theologians believe that love is set apart as the “greatest of these” because it is the only one of the three that is eternal. When the day finally comes and we are with Jesus, we will no longer need faith because what we’ve always believed through faith will be our reality. We will no longer need hope because in heaven there is no hopelessness. But love…love will exist in a capacity far greater than the portion we experience here on earth. In heaven, love will be complete. It will exist without the fear of losing it. It will fill our hearts without sharing space with anxiety, worry, depression, anger, jealousy, or any other sin that may occupy our hearts while we’re here on earth. We will be made whole by the love of God.
During this COVID-19 pandemic, it takes only the time to open an app for the sins and worries of this world to pour into our hearts and push love aside. We’re desperate for information to give us some direction to get through this uncharted terrain. We bounce from Facebook, to Twitter, to CNN, to Fox News, to wherever else searching for answers and guidance. In doing so, we fill ourselves up with anxiousness, fear, and doubt, leaving little room for the greatness of love.
I believe that one of the reasons Paul separates love from faith and hope is to emphasis the greatness of God’s love. It was because of his great love for us that he sent his only begotten son to die on the cross for our sins (John 3:16). Romans 5:5 tells us, “…the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” It is because of God’s love that he has given us Jesus as a means of coming before him and as a way to a perfect eternity. Because God’s love for us is abundant, shouldn’t we foremost set our hearts on loving him as well? Shouldn’t we first remind our hearts of the love God has poured into us before we begin to do anything else? Is it not in the Great Commandment that we are called to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind (Matt. 22:37)?
Brother and sisters, these are indeed trying times, but I must encourage you to love God first. Each day, before you begin to take on the onslaught of worldly information that is surely coming your way, love God first. Open your Bible every morning and remind yourself of the glorious love that God has for you and make it a part of your prayer routine to express to God how much you love him.
Some theologians believe that love is set apart as the “greatest of these” because it is the only one of the three that is eternal. When the day finally comes and we are with Jesus, we will no longer need faith because what we’ve always believed through faith will be our reality. We will no longer need hope because in heaven there is no hopelessness. But love…love will exist in a capacity far greater than the portion we experience here on earth. In heaven, love will be complete. It will exist without the fear of losing it. It will fill our hearts without sharing space with anxiety, worry, depression, anger, jealousy, or any other sin that may occupy our hearts while we’re here on earth. We will be made whole by the love of God.
During this COVID-19 pandemic, it takes only the time to open an app for the sins and worries of this world to pour into our hearts and push love aside. We’re desperate for information to give us some direction to get through this uncharted terrain. We bounce from Facebook, to Twitter, to CNN, to Fox News, to wherever else searching for answers and guidance. In doing so, we fill ourselves up with anxiousness, fear, and doubt, leaving little room for the greatness of love.
I believe that one of the reasons Paul separates love from faith and hope is to emphasis the greatness of God’s love. It was because of his great love for us that he sent his only begotten son to die on the cross for our sins (John 3:16). Romans 5:5 tells us, “…the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” It is because of God’s love that he has given us Jesus as a means of coming before him and as a way to a perfect eternity. Because God’s love for us is abundant, shouldn’t we foremost set our hearts on loving him as well? Shouldn’t we first remind our hearts of the love God has poured into us before we begin to do anything else? Is it not in the Great Commandment that we are called to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind (Matt. 22:37)?
Brother and sisters, these are indeed trying times, but I must encourage you to love God first. Each day, before you begin to take on the onslaught of worldly information that is surely coming your way, love God first. Open your Bible every morning and remind yourself of the glorious love that God has for you and make it a part of your prayer routine to express to God how much you love him.
Prayer Points:
- Thank God for the love He has for you.
- Tell God how much you love Him.
- Read and pray through 1 Corinthians 13.
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