Love Never Fails

Well, my friends, we have come to the last element of Love. It is more than interesting that within the same verse, we find 'Love Never Fails' is pitted against the things many people often think are more important than or equal to love. Listen to the comparison, here in verse 8-10 of I Cor 13.

8. Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]. As for prophecy the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), it will be fulfilled and pass away; as for tongues, they will be destroyed and cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away [it will lose its value and be superseded by truth].

9. For our knowledge is fragmentary (incomplete and imperfect), and our prophecy (our teaching) is fragmentary (incomplete and imperfect).

10. But when the complete and perfect (total) comes, the incomplete and imperfect will vanish away (become antiquated, void, and superseded).

Paul's major point is that love is the only permanent thing. The Corinthians needed to hear this because they were busy dividing the fellowship over the issues that are temporal and forgetting the one thing that was eternal.

I believe the church today needs to hear this for the very same reason.

Love never fails. The word "fail" is an interesting word in the Greek. The common translation of the word is "to fall." Literally it means "to fall to the ground" and sometimes refers to the finality of something falling into decay.

I started out in this study drawing your attention to how important love is to God, therefore, it is important to us. Because it is important to me, I am quick to put Love above things that we talk about at church. I don't argue about it, for that would not be love, nor is it 'MY' truth that I am defending. But on several occasions, when I have pointed this out, even leaders within some churches have argued that things like Evangelising and Tithing, were at least 'equally' as important.

My friends, please understand that because Evangelising, or Tithing, or Fasting are not listed here suggests that they could be equal to love. There is no reason for Paul to list everything that love is more important than, here, in verse 8. Go back to Mat 22:34-40, and I Cor 13:1-3, "or" just keep reading here up thru verse 13.

12. For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim (blurred) reflection [of reality as in a riddle or enigma], but then [when perfection comes] we shall see in reality and face to face! Now I know in part (imperfectly), but then I shall know and understand [f]fully and clearly, even in the same manner as I have been fully and clearly known and understood by God].

13. And so faith, hope, love abide [faith--conviction and belief respecting man's relation to God and divine things; hope--joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; love--true affection for God and man, growing out of God's love for and in us], these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Think about it this way, If you truly Love God, you "will" Evangelize. Maybe not systematically, like the church does, but when the Spirit gives you utterance or moves you toward a lost soul. Anyway, (more on that later) but on the other-hand, if you do evangelise and have not love in your heart, I'm curious... "Who are you evangelising them unto"?

We've got to move on in our study for now, but I hope you'll come back to this issue of where Love should be ranked among the list of what's important to God, to You, and for the Church. I am not asking anyone to stop evangelising or tithing, or even speaking in tongues, but if there is someone you disdain today... A group of people you feel better than, then your money is useless and your tongues are just noise.

Why will Love NEVER fail? I fail at Love sometimes, even when I've done everything I thought possible. Didn't I fail if the other person would not accept or receive my love? That's some of the questions I might ask? But, even as I ask these questions, the Holy Spirit says, "Since I've been with you, when have you failed to love". "You have not stopped loving that person, even after all has passed". "Even though you have both moved on, your love for that person remains constant".

The Spirit reveals that, while I make mistakes, love doesn't 'pass or fail'... like taking an exam. Love never fails, as in, 'Never Ends, Never Ceases To Exist'. It is true that God doesn't fail (make mistakes), and since the Love that is in me 'is' God, it will never fail (make mistakes). But that's not what this scripture is talking about.

Remember very early in our study (This Thing Called Love), we said that this is not what we thought love was. It is God Himself living in us. God is eternal, and He is Love, therefore, Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end].

Everything we have discovered about love is linked together in perfect harmony, meaning and expression. "It" is God. While my presentation of Love may be lacking, the truths revealed are PERFECT. God, living in us, manifesting HIMSELF to us and out onto each other. It is the most important thing.

I pray that over time, the section of your bibles that deal with love will be the most worn pages of all and that after we have gone home (Heaven) those who remember us will remember how much we loved.

1 Corinthians 8:2 "If anyone imagines that he has come to know and understand much [of divine things, without love], he does not yet perceive and recognize and understand as strongly and clearly, nor has he become as intimately acquainted with anything as he ought or as is necessary."

Thank you for your encouragement and patience with me during this study. I hope that if it has blessed you that you would share it, use it in part or whole, if you like.

I Love you.