If I could speak in any language in heaven or on earth but didn’t love others, I would only 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.
13:1-3

Love binds all. God is love. No matter what we do, if we do not do it with love, we have nothing. We could be of such faith that we could move mountains, but without love, what good would we be? If we had full understanding of what is coming, yet no love, what good would we be? None! That is like saying, “what if Superman didn’t care?” Well, he would be able to do nearly anything (fly, move mountains, run on water, etc., etc.) but would prefer to just be selfish. Superman is the greatest hero of the comic book world, as Jesus Christ is the greatest “hero” of the real world. He came as God incarnate. He walked on water, commanded the storms, made wine from water, and many other great miracles, but what good would he have been if he came in indifference to this world and the people in it? He definitely wouldn’t have given his life for all our sins.

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 it 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.
13:4-7

Love is patient and kind. God’s love is so patient. Did you realize that if He did not have love, he would have killed each and every one of us by now? We are called to have the same love for those around us. Real love is not jealous or boastful, proud nor rude. To show love, we do not our own thing, but show surrender to those we love. We bend to show our love for them. We do not keep a record of all the wrongs that those who we love, as those wrongs are irrelevant. In love, we never give up or lose faith in those we love. They may be extremely rude to us, scream at us, insult us, but when they come back in need of a friend they still find us, arms open wide.

This is how God is. How many times have you screamed to Heaven? Why this? Why that? How many times have you used His name in vain? How many times have you cursed Him? How many times have you returned to find a closed door? Never. He’s always right there when we return, just as we are called to be.

Love will last forever, but prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will all disappear. Now we know only a little, and even the gift of prophecy reveals little! But when the end comes, these special gifts will all disappear.
13:8-10

Love will last forever, but everything else will disappear. Wow. The only thing that matters is our love. The only thing that lasts beyond this world is love. No matter how much you speak and prophecy, no matter how much you do, the only thing that will last is your love.

There are three things that will endure-faith, hope, and love-and the greatest of these is love.
13:13

Faith, hope and love. These will endure all, and love is the greatest. Love shows no prejudice, no harshness, no jealousy, no fault. Love is pure. This is what we are called to. The world will hate us Christians, as the world is of Satan and we are of God. We are not of the world of sin anymore, and Satan hates this. We have the greatest defender on our side, and he knows that he will lose this war. Satan will lose. But no matter how much this world comes against us, no matter how much the people of this world attack us with words, we are to love them like God loves us, without rhyme or reason.

For one to have real love, one must be in full surrender to it. If the one you love calls for you, without a thought, you are there answering. It is not about you, it is about them. No matter what happens, love conquers. This is what makes it so hard sometimes. Life and love don’t go to well together. Love doesn’t have to make since. We cannot live for ourselves and for love, for love will always grab you and make you move. Your loved ones have pissed you off and all you want to do is scream, but then they need you and you are there. Why? Moments before, you could care less, but when they needed you, you were there.

That is what love is, and how love works. Logical thought cannot understand love. No words can describe love. It doesn’t fit into all the theory, all the psychology, all the philosophy. It is unto its own. The greatest thinkers, poets, philosophers, and authors have tried to define love, but no one can even come close. I think that this passage from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians is the best description of love, and one of the best poetic pieces on love ever written.

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone. Remember that no matter if you are single, dating, or married, you do have someone loving you at all times. That someone is our Lord Jesus. His love is more pure and perfect than anything that any of us can understand. I hope everyone has a great day, and shares the love.