1 Corinthians 13

This is chapter is one of the most beautiful chapters in the epistles and I think gives us and idea into the character of Paul and what he was like. Having persecuted the members of the church and consented to their being put to death, I think his total conversion included going from one who could easily hate in the name of God to one who could love as God loves. The message of this chapter to me is, no matter how great your works are, no matter how important we are and the they things we do, if we do not have love for all people, none of the other matters. Everything we do will just be for us and will do nothing to bless or help anyone else. People will sense the guile of our efforts.

I like this quote from none other than Richard Anderson, Richard L. Anderson that is, a New Testament Scholar: "The concept of love is not dramatic sacrifice but steady relationship. It is not a giant gift on a special occasion but the continued support of personal caring... The tragedy of many unloving people is that they only imagine they love. In truth they want to love but do not pay the price to move from wishful thinking to reality... The impatient jerk on a child, the harsh word to someone trying to assist, or the cold shoulder to a spouse all reveal a smallness [in the] soul... It is subtly disguised in appearing to care but being too busy... The gospel experience of unselfish love is closer to eternity than anything else. It may be counterfeited by immorality and cheapened in superficial society. But genuine love is a taste of eternity."

Most all of us do not love everyone as we should. But most of us try. Even when we are filled with love, we do not love everyone with the same kind of love. But the Savior and his Father do. I have known people who were filled with love, who could find no fault in people they could easily have found fault with. Or if they found the fault, they had no problem looking past the fault and loving them in spite of it. To love someone that way, is to love unselfishly. To love should be our highest goal and our greatest achievement.