1 Corinthians 13 (3)

Pray Psalm 68.19, 20.
Blessed be the Lord,
Who daily loads us with benefits,
The God of our salvation!
Selah
Our God is the God of salvation;
And to GOD the Lord belong escapes from death.

Sing Psalm 68.19, 20, 32, 33.
(O Store Gud: How Great Thou Art)
Blessed be the LORD, our burden daily bearing,
O God, our God, our Savior and our King!
With us salvation and deliv’rance sharing,
He life from death His people daily brings.
Refrain vv. 32, 33
Sing to the LORD, O kingdoms of the earth!
Ancient of Days—praise Him on high!
Behold He speaks; His Word is going forth;
Ancient of Days—praise Him on high!

Read 1 Corinthians 13.1-8; meditate on verse 8.

Preparation
1. What does love not do?

2. What other things do this?

Meditation
Love never fails. Fails at what? At being love, to begin with. Because God is love and God is eternal, love is eternal and unfailing. It will never end. We need never think that love will cease to be an affection and experience we can know every day. Love is a gift we can use and fruit we can bear continually (Ps. 1). Love is how we show the face of God to the world.

Love does not fall down. It’s always strong in the face of every challenge, threat, or disappointment. When the love of God is operating in us, nothing can overcome or prevail against us; that is, nothing can keep us from loving even those who hate and would destroy us.

Or even those unlovable people we sit behind in church.

Prophecy, tongues, knowledge—all these are good and useful gifts. But they are empty without love (vv. 1-3). And a time is coming when these will no longer exist. When Christ returns and takes us to Himself, prophecies fail. Tongues will cease. Knowledge will vanish, that is, as a gift possessed by only a few. But love never fails. We won’t always need the gifts of the Spirit for the simple reason that the indomitable, inescapable, unavoidable, all-sufficient, and unfailing love of God will pervade all we are and do.

And it can begin to do so even now. Seek therefore this more excellent way above all else. It will never fail you.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
Years ago, on a Dr. Dobson radio program, he encouraged parents to make sure their children could do one thing very well, so that when they failed at something else, they could fall back on their success. “I might have lost that soccer game, but boy howdy, I did well on that last math quiz!”

God is giving us that same encouragement: “Children, you might not do many things well, but boy howdy, if can you love the unlovable, you can do anything!” Indeed, my prophecies may fail, my tongue cease, and I may be dumber than a bag of hammers, but if I can love, my life will never be a failure. Nope. Never.

Our friend Pat Hunter taught, “We do not love because of the target; but because of the love Jesus generates in our hearts for them.” So, we don’t love because others are lovable, we love because God gives us the desire, capability, and strength to do it.

“Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins” (Prov. 10.12).
“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?” (Matt. 5.44-46).
“Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law” (Rom. 13.8).
“Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart…” (1 Tim. 1.5).
“And above all things have fervent love for one another, for ‘love will cover a multitude of sins’” (1 Pet. 4.8).
“And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also” (1 Jn. 4.21).

In Victor Hugo’s book, Les Misérables, it was the forgiving and generous love from Bishop Myriel that changed the heart and life of Jean Valjean. As the online study notes for the book state, “Jean Valjean…becomes a trial figure for Hugo’s grand theories about the redemptive power of compassion and love.” And Hugo’s “grand theories” come straight from the heart of God.

In Les Mis the bishop sang to the thief Valjean, explaining the higher purpose of his love:
But remember this, my brother.
See in this some higher plan.
You must use this precious silver
To become an honest man.
By the witness of the martyrs,
By the passion and the blood,
God has raised you out of darkness:
I have saved your soul for God.

When we love like that, with a higher plan, remembering Jesus’ death, to serve others with His love, we will never fail. This majestic work of sharing God’s love, if it is the only thing we ever do—and do it well—we will have lived and loved successfully.

Never failing.

For reflection
1. Is there anyone in your Personal Mission Field you find hard to love? Why?

2. What should you do to seek the love of Jesus for all the people in your Personal Mission Field?

3. Whom will you encourage today with the love of Jesus?

Love always remains firm and stable, unchanged and unchanging. Theodoret of Cyr (393-466), Pauline Commentary from the Greek Church

Pray Psalm 68.26-35.
God is love, and love never fails because God never fails. Give thanks to God for the many ways He has shown Himself faithful to you. Call on Him to fill you with His love for the day ahead.

Sing Psalm 68.26-35.
(O Store Gud: How Great Thou Art)
Bless God in all His holy congregations,
even the LORD, the Fountainhead of grace;
He calls His people forth from all the nations
and gathers them before His glorious face.
Refrain vv. 32, 33
Sing to the LORD, O kingdoms of the earth!
Ancient of Days—praise Him on high!
Behold He speaks; His Word is going forth;
Ancient of Days—praise Him on high!

To You, O God, are strength and exaltation;
You fill the skies and dwell in holy awe!
To us You give strength, pow’r, and full salvation.
Blessed be Your Name, our strong, majestic God!
Refrain

T. M. and Susie Moore

The Church in Corinth was in need of revival. But there was much to be done before that would happen. The Church today is in need of revival, and the same is true for us. Our book, Revived!, can help us to discern our need for revival and lead us in getting there. Order your copy by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter, available by clicking here.