One of the most searched for writings on love is the Bible’s love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13.  Featured at weddings, sometimes as a tribute at funerals, the love chapter has inspired generations of people from across the globe, from nearly every religion, and even among those who claim no faith.  Why?  Because the love chapter embodies what all humans long for: a love that is enduring, faithful, true; a love that takes us as we are and loves us as we are while inviting us to be the best version of who we are.

But the love chapter is so much more than inspiration at a wedding.  The text is set between two chapters where the Apostle Paul outlines how God’s Spirit wants to work in us and through us to bring His goodness and love to this world. It inspires and puts a guiding focus on the purpose all of us have in life.

So often, religion goes awry in our lives. Instead of living in the loving good news of Jesus, we use religion to make us feel better about ourselves, assert our moral superiority, or seek affirmations of who we are from the good God does through our lives.  Religion can get focused on the “must-do” concepts of life, distorting what is healthy and good.  Some go to church because they must do so to be saved.  Being a consistent part of a church is good, something healthy we get to do, but it is not a determining factor in your salvation.

1 Corinthians’ purpose is to bring us back to what is essential, love.  Ultimately the text points us not toward our own love or the love of others but to God’s love shown to us most vividly in Jesus. After all, who among us “always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” (1 Cor. 13:7, NIV, emphasis added).  Only Jesus always does that.  So, this chapter intends to inspire us to become more like Jesus, reign in pride and self-centeredness that so often mercilessly drive our identity, and frees us to humbly rest in who God is to us.

Paul teaches us the result of humbly resting in God’s love is that we can then be free to receive the spiritual gifts God wants to give us, and to give them to others in loving, humble, kind, and gracious ways…because we are loved, and it is about God, not about us.  Too many Christians think:  God could never speak to me. God could never speak through me to others.  God could never give me a prophetic word or heal someone else through my words.  Those statements simply reflect that you are not fully saturated in God’s love yet.  That you are still thinking I must be good enough when Jesus has already said you are good enough for Him to die in your place, to take the penalty of your sins upon Himself, and for Him to want to be in a relationship with you and work through you.  So, take the time to read 1 Corinthians 13 as a love letter from God to you.  Let the words sink into those areas of your thoughts and feelings where you need to hear that his love never fails, that he wants you to know he fully knows you and loves you.