1 Corinthians 13 - 12.20.23

Scripture

I Corinthians 13:13 -- And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Observation

Every single thing we do should be motivated by love.

“For as 1 John 4:19 tells us, “we love because he first loved us.” It is the effectual love of God that first changes our hearts in order to make us capable of love, and it is His example of love that reminds us again and again of our need to love other people.” Liogoneer.org/devotionals

Application

In I Corinthians 13, Paul reminds us that we can serve, and study, and memorize, and prophecy, and worship, and give, and share – and if we’re not doing it out of love for God and others, it serves no purpose.

When asked what are the greatest of the commandments, Jesus said “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind, and Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

As we follow Jesus, we should be becoming more and more like him. “God’s love for us, our love for Him, and our love for others are inseparable. If we have been loved by God, we will love God and we will love others.”

Prayer

Thank you for this reminder today that I am called to love you and love others like you love them. Thank you for loving me. Please continue to work on my heart and fill it with your love to pour out on others.  

Fun fact – when I was a teenager, Open Bible Churches had a youth program called Quiz Team. The year my church participated, we studied I Corinthians for six months and competed against other local teams and at the regional conference. I was excited when I saw that I Corinthians 13 was the chapter for today’s SOAP journal.

- Debbie Dunn