The Greatest is Love!

Dennis Edwards

I'm walking along the beach here, or not the beach, but the river which is off to the right. I'm walking along this beautiful wooden path along the river. You can see the high tide is in with the pools of water here. Today is Sunday and I'm taking a little relaxing afternoon. I went around to see a friend that is sick, but he wasn't in. Here's a beautiful chapter from Apostle Paul, his crowning accomplishment perhaps, besides all the souls that he won, is this chapter in the Bible. It is probably the most quoted, most loved, most well-read and remembered passage in the New Testament: 1 Corinthians 13. It goes like this:                                                                                                                                                         

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profits me nothing.

 Love suffers long, and is kind; love envies not; love vaunts not itself, is not puffed up, does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil; rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

When I was a child, I spake as a child, i understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man,I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass darkly; but then shall we see face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abides faith, hope, and love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

In the chapter just preceding this Paul was talking about the different ministeries in the church. Some are evangelists, some are teachers, some are pastors, some have the gift of healing, some have the gift of miracles, some speak in tongues, some are good administrator. And at the bottom of all that, after giving a long list of all these different ministies of the church, whose ultimate aim is to preach the Gospel, Paul says, and yet I'm going to show you a more excellent way.

Love is the more excellent way, because God is love and He'll never fail. Love never fails. Jesus said that by this shall all men know that you are my disciples because you have love one for another. So if you want to win the world for Christ, if you want to win your brothers and sisters, if you want to win your children, or your grandchildren; your greatest sample is love. That's going to speak louder than anything that you preach, because they are going to look at what you do and then they are going to know that it's true what you say. 

Have a good week. May the Lord bless and strengthen you and may He help you walk in love with one another, with your workmates, with your family, with those you meet day to day. I love you. In Jesus's name, Amen.