1 Corinthians 13:13
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
To be honest, I’m not quite sure where to start this time around. I have been feeling a lot of different emotions over the past week or so, but more than anything I feel disappointed. My anger passes, my worry passes, my sadness passes, but every day I am still left with disappointment. I am disappointed in what our nation has become. I long for the days of patriotism, love for country, and the overall desire to be better. Unfortunately, it seems we have lost all of these, but when it really comes down to it, I think what our country is missing most of all is love.
Chapter thirteen of 1 Corinthians speaks so much truth, that even those who are not followers of Christ are familiar with the verses. “Love is patient, love is kind,” as it goes. It’s recited in weddings, painted on canvases, and highlighted in Bibles across the world. But even though we see these words frequently, we don’t seem to be putting them into practice. I believe what our country needs right now is to be reminded that these aren’t just words, but instead, they should be the foundation on which we live our lives. Why else would “love” be mentioned 551 times in the Bible?
In verse two, Paul writes, “if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” Right now, we are nothing. Our nation is nothing. We are not operating on love—we are operating on fear, anger, and animosity. We cannot flourish, we cannot grow, and we cannot make progress without love being the foundation of every word we say and every decision we make. If you’re wondering how you can create change or what you can do to make a difference right now, start with love.
Are you speaking with love in your heart? Are your actions based on love? Or are your words and your works based on hate? Maybe even worse—are you living in apathy (lack of emotion or feeling)? You don’t need to share your answers. Your peers don’t need to know, nor does your small group leader. Your answers are between you and God, and if you don’t think God would be pleased with how you responded, maybe it’s time to pause for a moment and reflect.
Today, take some time to evaluate and assess the word “love.” How can you exhibit love through your words today? How can you share love through your actions? As long as we focus our energy on love, we are stimulating change…no matter how small. We are encouraging positivity. We are inspiring our peers. We have to start somewhere…why not with love?
For further encouragement, read the entirety of 1 Corinthians 13. May the Lord keep you safe during this season.