1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV: “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
Last May, the devotion asked what your favorite Bible verse was. One person handed in his favorite verse to the pastor after church and it was the above 1 Corinthians 13:13. Shortly after that, I heard a request on the radio to read the whole 13th chapter everyday for a week. It seemed that Jesus was trying to get that message into my heart and soul as I read it each day. No matter how much faith, or prophetic knowledge or hope we can have, nothing really matters if we do not have His “love.” So, I asked myself a question: How do I get that “love” that is unselfish and pure? Well, the answer came in John 14:6 NIV, Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father except by me.” Jesus is the only perfect love and He desires to give that to you and me. I still make mistakes, but He forgives me when I ask Him and keeps teaching me how to love in His holy way. So, if Jesus died for me, I can live for Him and know His love that seeks to honor Him.
Well, I told Jesus that I sure fall short of His standards! And you know what He told me? God sent His only Son into the world not to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:17) He took away our sins on the cross and we can believe in Him as our Savior. Jesus did die, but He rose again on the third day proving He was the Son of God. Wow, Jesus’ blood “covers my sins” as the old hymn says.
Please ponder these verses and read 1 Corinthians 13 everyday for this month. You will begin to understand His unfathomable love!
cms / St. Petrie
St. Petrie Lutheran Church AFLC 