1 Corinthians 13 Devotional

Love That Outlasts Every Gift

“And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love.”1 Corinthians 13:13 (BSB)

Paul pauses his teaching on gifts to show what makes any gift worth having. Speaking in every tongue, understanding all mysteries, faith that moves mountains, even giving away everything, all amount to nothing without love (13:1-3). Then he describes what love is like: patient and kind, free of envy and boasting, slow to anger, keeping no record of wrongs, bearing and enduring all things (13:4-7).

This list can feel like a standard that only exposes how far we fall short, but it is not a checklist for earning God's approval. Believers have first been loved, since Christ gave his own life for them in love (Ephesians 5:2). Gifts like prophecy and knowledge are partial and will pass away when the perfect comes. For now we see dimly, but then we will see face to face and know fully, just as God already knows us fully (13:8-12). Love lasts. Because you are fully known and still loved, you can show patient, kind love to the people around you today.

To think about: Which part of Paul's description of love is hardest for you right now, and how does being fully known and loved by God help?