I Corinthians 13 - Part Seven

1 Corinthians 13:8a – Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]. (AMP)

The human lover may not always feel loving toward the beloved, yet will always choose to act in love toward the beloved. This is part of the maturity and self-sacrifice of love. The true measure of love is never based on the strength or lack of feelings, because feelings fluctuate based on circumstances, but love is a constant. The statements, “I just don’t love you anymore,” or “We fell out of love,” are not possible with true love. Love always succeeds, prevails, overcomes, is victorious, no matter what it faces. No circumstance, no matter how difficult, can cause true love (real, agapé love) to end because such love is greater than any circumstance. Love, along with the other characteristics of God, is one of the most powerful forces on earth. Love is always relevant, vital, fresh, and new, looking at each new circumstance that comes as a new opportunity to yet again show itself to the beloved, as well as an opportunity for God to work and show His strength through our weakness. Love delights in the act of loving. When we love we are an expression of God to those around us. It is a fruit of the Spirit. (In fact all the other “fruits” can be found in love – they are components of love.) The Holy Spirit, and only the Holy Spirit, gives us the power to love without fail. What an awesome thing – through loving we carry God to those around us! Through our love of others God is not only on the inside of us, but He reaches out and impacts the hearts of each person we encounter. Therefore, we have a responsibility to love, but His burden is easy and His yoke is light. Through love we surely can conquer the world.

Love and God are the two most misunderstood topics in our society today. Love is often seen as mere emotion subject to change at any whim, in constant flux according to mood or circumstance. People think that love has its limits. It is true that as finite human beings that we are only capable of limiting our love to a small number of people, but when we truly love them, that love is infinite. God is capable of infinite love towards infinite numbers of people and beings.