Love never fails, but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.  1 Corinthians 13:8-9 LSB

When Jesus was questioned as to which was the greatest commandment, he summed up the 10 commandments into two commands. First he told us to love the Lord with all our heart, all our soul and all our mind. Then he told us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves(Matthew 22:37-39). Love for God and love for others covers the whole ten commandments.

If we have love for God, then we won’t violate His commands. Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will keep My commandments.” In John 14:21, Jesus said, “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who love Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and disclose myself to him.”

God commands us to love others. If we have a genuine love for others we want the best for them. He even tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us in Matthew 5:44. Jesus gave us this example as He was dying on the cross when he prayed for His enemies by saying, “Father forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing,” in Luke 23:34. Jesus prayed for the forgiveness of those who had tortured and crucified Him.

In our Scripture passage, Paul says prophesying and knowledge are partial. This means these things will pass away. John said in 1 John 2:17, “And the world is passing away, and also its lusts, but the one who does the will of God abides forever.”

Love never fails us. As long as we love as God has commanded us to love, it will never fail us. We are commanded to love regardless of our circumstances. It doesn’t say to love someone as long as they are being kind and loving. It doesn’t say to love someone as long as you are feeling well and feel like loving them, it simply says to love.

Loving an unlovable person is one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. It became easier, however, when I realized how unlovable I had been to God and how He had still loved me.

1 Corinthians 13:3 tells us without love, we have nothing.

When we sin, we are unlovable to God, but He loves us still. He hates our sin, but He loves us. If we want God to forgive us, all we have to do is ask and earnestly repent of our sin. He expects us to do the same with others.

The only way we can ever show God’s love to others is to love them as God has loved us. God loves us through the good, the bad and the ugly parts of our lives. He loves us when we are not so lovable. He loves us when we are not showing love for Him. His love never fails us.

If we love like Jesus, we have eternal life. Even though all the things of this old world are passing away, if we abide in His love, we live with Him forever.

God loved us so much, He sent His son so that whoever believed in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). God demonstrates this awesome love He has for us in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).

If we love like that, it will never fail us. God has shown us how to love Him and how to love others. If you want to succeed in the Christian life you’ve gotta love like that.

Of all the things in your life that might fail you, love never will. Show others the kind of love God has shown you.

Have a great day!