Love - The Most Excellent Way

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:13

I had been staring into the darkness beyond the computer monitor for hours, trying to sort out the thoughts running through my mind. What could I write that would encourage the person who needs to be encouraged. I looked up and three words on the wall calendar shone through the darkness - faith, hope and love and then the light when on in my mind and this week’s passage came flooding in.

I could have quite easily just cut and paste 1 Corinthians 13 in its entirety here and left it at that - it is pretty self explanatory after all. But as I read it, in light of the Apostle Paul introducing it by saying: “And now I will show you the most excellent way” I realized that beside extolling the importance for us to have love, to show love, to live love that Paul was in my opinion giving us a zoomed in satellite image of the very core of who God is, who Jesus Christ is, who the Holy Spirit is. 

God’s love is patient and slow to anger; He doesn’t want anyone to perish so he will take His time so that everyone will have a chance to turn and follow Him (2 Peter 3:9). God’s love is kind; He treats us graciously, giving us good gifts of all sorts. God’s love is doesn’t envy; oh He may at times be jealous for us, when we make other things or people gods in His place, but He would never set us aside because He’d rather have our 50 inch TV or to hang-out with our favorite entertainer. God’s love does not boast nor is it proud; remember Jesus left the throne room of heaven to be a humble servant who cared more for us than for His own divine power. God’s love is not rude or self centered; Jesus always put others ahead of Himself, this is strength and not a weakness as we might think. God’s love doesn’t keep score; when He forgives us we are forgiven and He won’t get historical the next time we mess up. God’s love is every good thing we can think of and best of all God’s love never fails.

Paul is telling us two things really as shows us the most excellent way. Second, Paul is telling us that this is how we should live, that our lives - within the constraints of our humanness - need to reflect everything that God’s love is. But, first and most importantly, Paul wants us to know that the excellent way is built on the foundation of how God loves and how His love will never fail us. 

Remember; God can speak in the tongues of men and angels, He holds all knowledge, He can move mountains, He left everything behind and surrendered Himself not to the flames but to the cross and it’s all because He loves. When we love like Christ loves us, we are living the most excellent way. 

A Prayer
Father - Thank you for Your incredible, unfailing love. Help us to know and embrace the depth of that love in our lives and then show us who around us needs to be loved the same way You love us. Amen.