1 Corinthians 13

The Love Chapter. How many times in life have I heard this? How many times has this been the Scripture reading at a wedding? For me, it had gotten to the point that when someone would read this at a wedding, I would scoff and glaze over. Again?

But the truth is, this passage is profound. Sure, when you want to love someone this all sounds easy. Patient? Kind? Unselfish? Sure, I can do that. But what about when you don't want to love someone....or when you love someone, but you're mad at them and don't want to behave lovingly towards them....or when you truly love someone, but you just kind of suck at this stuff?

Sometimes when a passage interests me I like to look at it in several versions on BibleGateway. I did this with verses 4-7 and it was QUITE interesting and challenging. If you've never read these verses before or even if you've read them so often you have them memorized, I encourage you to read them again, as if for the first time, and really consider what each statement is saying.

And then beg Jesus to help you, because if that's how we're supposed to love people...I'm going to need A LOT of help! But before you get too overwhelmed with that thought, think about this: that's how Jesus loves you!!! We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:10). So dwell on the fact that this is how you are loved and then know that if you are in Christ, He can and will empower you through His Spirit to love others in the same way.

Oh, Jesus, You're always outdoing us with Your amazing-ness.

1 Corinthians 13: 3-8 in The Message:

If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

Love never dies.