July 21, Reading 3 – 1 Corinthians 13

Reading

Audio, Visual

SAA Notes

The most excellent way! Love is described in terms of behaviour – patience, kindness, not being rude, not delighting in evil. Two passages in Zechariah fill this out a little more – Zechariah 7:8-10 and 8:16,17. Love can be commanded! It is different from liking or disliking, from how you feel.

SJA Notes

* Loving God, please help us to know You better today, and to know better how You want us to behave.

“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”

We can see Paul’s argument across these passages.

In yesterday’s passage Paul described the body parts, the gifting that God gives, the church made up of all of us.

And at the end of the discussion on gifts and differences and God’s will in giving them out – Paul points us to A BETTER WAY.

A better way than what?

These things will cease, so do not get so bound up in them as to lose sight of the big truths of scripture.

“As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.”

They have worth in the here and now, but look at what Paul says!

The here and now is partial and limited, we see in a mirror dimly, through a cloudy and smudged and warped window of glass.

BUT THEN.

Love never ends.

Paul wants us to see the gradient of importance as we come to think and dwell on these things – LOVE NEVER ENDS.

Love is not partial or limited.

God’s love to us is steadfast and true. His love does not end.

And so our grip on love, our active practice of love – We must listen to Paul. Love matters more than all the gifts in the world, all the power and might, all the intellect, all the knowledge and fancy words and special privileged giftings – Love matters more.

Love matters most.

* Dear God,

You are the Creator God who loved us!

You sent Yourself to bear our sins on the cross so that we could be free.

This is love!

Please help us be active in working out our love for You in our lives today and onwards.

Amen.

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