The Gift of Love

If I had the gift of being able to speak in other languages without learning them and could speak in every language there is in all of heaven and earth, but didn’t love others, I would only be making noise. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy and knew all about what is going to happen in the future, knew everything about everything, but didn’t love others, what good would it do? Even if I had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain and make it move, I would still be worth nothing at all without love. 3 If I gave everything I have to poor people, and if I were burned alive for preaching the Gospel but didn’t love others, it would be of no value whatever.

8 All the special gifts and powers from God will someday come to an end, but love goes on forever. Someday prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge—these gifts will disappear. 9 Now we know so little, even with our special gifts, and the preaching of those most gifted is still so poor. 10 But when we have been made perfect and complete, then the need for these inadequate special gifts will come to an end, and they will disappear.

13 There are three things that remain—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13 (Living Bible)

         Since the first of the year, having chosen the word “gift” as my word for 2019, I’ve been sharing Bible verses which use that word. With Valentine’s Day coming up later this week, it seemed that these passages were most appropriate. Count how many times the word “gift” is used.

Don’t get bogged down by those gifts of prophecy and speaking in tongues. I think they are still around, just not in the way we think. The point is that in the end, when Jesus returns for His people, all that is going to be left is love. We won’t even need faith or hope, because as Hebrews 11:1 tells us, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” When we see Jesus face to face, we don’t need any more assurance than that.

Thank You, Lord God, for sending Your Son to fill us with Your unending love. Amen.