The greatest of these is love!

Paul showed an amazing understanding of Our Lord's intent. God inspired him to write about many subjects that directly strengthen us and our faith. The following is from a letter of Paul's to the people of Corinth. I am quoting from the New Living Translation because I feel it better conveys the original meaning.

..."If I could speak in any language in heaven or on earth but didn't love others, I would be making meaningless noise like a loud gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I knew all the mysteries of the future and knew everything about everything, but didn't love others, what good would I be? And if I had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain and make it move, without love I would be no good to anybody. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it, but if I didn't love others, I would be of no value whatsoever.
...Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
...Love will last forever, but prophecy and speaking in unknown languages will all disappear. Now we know only a little, and even the gift of prophecy reveals little! But when the end comes, those special gifts will all disappear.
...Its like this: When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child does. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now.
...There are three things that will endure - faith, hope, and love - and the greatest of these is love." (1 Cor 13) nlt

Amazing, isn't it? Every last thing we hold to be important in this life is useless without love.

"What kind of love?" you may be wondering. Jesus expressed it like this... "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. I assure you, anyone who doesn't have their kind of faith will never get into the kingdom of God." (Mark 16b-17) nlt Is this, in any way, contradictory to what Paul says? Not at all! He is saying we should stop behaving like spoiled children. Put away the "gimme, gimme, gimme," and the selfish, self-centeredness, but never lose the simple love!

Love with the innocence of a child, and with the same kind of trust. Learn from your kids. They trust you to take care of them. Trust God the same way. He is Our Father!

"...and the greatest of these is love."