If I had the gift of speaking in foreign languages without learning them, and even if I could speak every heavenly language, but did not love others, I would only be making noise.
If I had the gift of prophecy and knew the future, but did not love others, what good would it do?
Even if I had the gift of faith and could move mountains, I still would be worth nothing without love.
If I gave all my worldly possessions to the poor, and even if I were burned alive for preaching the Gospel, but did not have love, it would be of no value.
Love* is patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty, selfish or rude.
Love does not demand it's own way. Love is not irritable or grouchy. Love does not hold grudges, and will not keep score against friend or enemy.
Love is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out. Love is loyal, and has faith in God under all circumstances.
Someday prophecy, foreign languages and special knowledge will disappear, but Love goes on forever.
Now we know so little even with our special gifts, but when Jesus comes and we have been made perfect and complete at His coming, then those special gifts will come to an end, for they are no longer needed.
It is like this: when I was a child, I spoke and thought as a child. But when I reached adulthood my thoughts were far above childish ways.
In the same way, we can see and understand only a little about God now, as if we were looking at His reflection in a poor mirror. But someday we are going to see Him as He is, face to Face! What I see now is blurry, but later I will see everything as clearly as God sees now!
There are three great things: FAITH - HOPE - LOVE. And the greatest is LOVE!
*God is Love. In this paragraph substitute your name wherever the word "Love" appears.
Bible Text: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13.
If I had the gift of prophecy and knew the future, but did not love others, what good would it do?
Even if I had the gift of faith and could move mountains, I still would be worth nothing without love.
If I gave all my worldly possessions to the poor, and even if I were burned alive for preaching the Gospel, but did not have love, it would be of no value.
Love* is patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty, selfish or rude.
Love does not demand it's own way. Love is not irritable or grouchy. Love does not hold grudges, and will not keep score against friend or enemy.
Love is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out. Love is loyal, and has faith in God under all circumstances.
Someday prophecy, foreign languages and special knowledge will disappear, but Love goes on forever.
Now we know so little even with our special gifts, but when Jesus comes and we have been made perfect and complete at His coming, then those special gifts will come to an end, for they are no longer needed.
It is like this: when I was a child, I spoke and thought as a child. But when I reached adulthood my thoughts were far above childish ways.
In the same way, we can see and understand only a little about God now, as if we were looking at His reflection in a poor mirror. But someday we are going to see Him as He is, face to Face! What I see now is blurry, but later I will see everything as clearly as God sees now!
There are three great things: FAITH - HOPE - LOVE. And the greatest is LOVE!
*God is Love. In this paragraph substitute your name wherever the word "Love" appears.
Bible Text: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13.
1 comment:
Very nice translation. Seems like we all fall short of this kind of love in some way, but it's certainly good to reminded of the end result of love.
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