“Now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (v.13)
When people hurt us and then apologize, we often say that we forgive them. But, like a dog that won’t give up its bone, we sometimes let our minds continue to chew on past insults. Paul declared in the latter part of verse 5 that love “thinks no evil.” He was using an accountant’s term here meaning, it does not keep a record of wrongs. Instead, love forgives and refuses to keep it on the books. When we want to remember something, we go over it again and again in our minds. But Godly love deliberately and consciously lets go of past hurts, and gives them to God.The Bible challenges each of us to this higher ground in loving others, to live out God’s kind of love. The person who exercises Godly love doesn’t do so for personal benefit or gain, but rather “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (13:7). Why? Because Godly love endures beyond life’s hurts by pulling us relentlessly toward the never-diminishing care of the Father.
Therefore, even in our struggles, we know that “His love never fails,” and nor should ours. Lord, teach us the patience of Your unfailing love that we might properly reflect it.
The Truth: "Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." (v.7)
