Called 4 Jesus

1 Corinthians 13
by Daniel York

“Love,” is written by my youngest son. I pray that every 17 year old person thinks like this.

The church in Corinth was situated in a wealthy, and cosmopolitan city, a hub of trade and culture where people prized sophistication, status, and public recognition. The believers there were diverse—some Jews, some Greeks, rich and poor alike—and many were spiritually gifted, passionate, and zealous for God. Yet their zeal had taken a wrong turn: instead of using their gifts to serve and build each other up, they competed, boasted, and sought attention. Factions formed around favorite leaders, jealousy and envy were common, and arguments often replaced love and unity. Worship gatherings sometimes left people confused or excluded, and acts of generosity were performed for praise rather than compassion. In short, the Corinthians were full of talent, knowledge, and spiritual power, but love was missing. Seeing this, Paul stops everything to declare the higher standard: spiritual gifts, wisdom, and sacrifice are meaningless without love, and the more excellent way is always love—patient, kind, humble, and enduring.

13 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge,and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies,they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.But the greatest of these is love.

Paul opens 1 Corinthians 13 with a powerful and sobering truth: gifts without love are empty. He writes that even the most extraordinary abilities—speaking in the tongues of men and angels, prophesying, understanding all mysteries, having all faith, giving away all possessions, or even sacrificing one’s body—amount to nothing if love is absent. In other words, you can be brilliant, generous, spiritually gifted, or even heroic, but without love, it is all noise. God does not measure us by our skills, our accomplishments, or even the visibility of our faith; God measures us by the heart behind our actions. Paul’s point is striking: it is possible to perform the right actions with the wrong motives, to do good things for recognition or pride rather than out of true compassion. Love is the foundation upon which everything else must rest, and without it, even the most impressive feats are meaningless.

Paul then turns to describe what love actually looks like, moving from the abstract to the concrete. Love, he says, is patient and kind; it waits, listens, and responds with gentleness rather than forcing its way. It does not envy or boast, and it is not proud, rude, or self-seeking. Love does not lash out in anger and does not hold grudges. It does not delight in wrongdoing but rejoices in truth. Paul completes this section with a rhythmic, almost poetic description: “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” Love is active, persistent, and enduring. It is not a fleeting emotion or sentiment; it is a deliberate, selfless choice to seek the best for others, to carry burdens, to stand firm in truth, and to persist through trials. This is the kind of love Christ demonstrated for us—sacrificial, forgiving, and unwavering.

Paul also emphasizes that love lasts forever, unlike spiritual gifts or human achievements. Prophecies will end, tongues will cease, and knowledge will fade, for these are tools for this present life. But love is eternal; it is the language of heaven, the constant that transcends time and circumstance. When we stand face-to-face with Christ, all gifts and acts of service will be unnecessary, but love will remain. This teaches us that love is not only central to our relationships in this life but also carries eternal significance. It is the thread that connects our earthly actions to the divine reality of God’s kingdom.

Paul then encourages believers to grow up into love, using the image of moving from childhood into maturity. As children, we often think and act selfishly, focused on our own needs, desires, and recognition. Maturity in love, however, shifts our perspective outward, centering our lives on God and the needs of others. He acknowledges that we are all still learning—“now we see in a mirror dimly”—and that our understanding and practice of love are incomplete. Yet, with each act of love, each choice to be patient, kind, forgiving, or selfless, we grow closer to the example of Christ. Love is not instant; it is cultivated over time through intentional practice and reflection.

Finally, Paul concludes with one of the most profound declarations in Scripture: “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Faith is vital, hope is essential, but love is the highest calling of every Christian. Love is the nature of God, the evidence of discipleship, and the mission Jesus gives us. Unlike gifts, knowledge, or miracles, love never fails. It does not end, fade, or lose its power. Paul challenges us to look in the mirror of this chapter and ask ourselves: Are we patient? Kind? Forgiving? Do we embody the love Christ demonstrated? 1 Corinthians 13 calls us not only to feel love but to live it—actively, consistently, and sacrificially—in every relationship, every choice, and every moment of our lives. In the end, it is love that endures, love that transforms, and love that ultimately reflects the heart of Christ to the world.

God bless