Week 7 - The Way of Love

The Way of Love

1 Corinthians 13

This week’s chapter is an excellent followup to Galatians 5 from last week.

What better chapter to follow the nine Fruits of the Spirit than the chapter that is commonly referred to as the Way of Love, 1 Corinthians 13.

This chapter, like Psalm 23, is one that many of us know by heart and recite often. However, when I was memorizing the chapter several years ago, the two verses that jumped out to me were not those at the beginning and the end, which I had loved for so long.

So here are the two verses that now humble me the most in the Way of Love...

11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

Before, I had only thought about verse eleven, which I felt would be very meaningful to our four kids and fourteen grandkids, but I had disconnected it from verse twelve.

What humbled me about these two verses taken together is that even NOW as an old man, I am still looking at myself in the mirror every day as a child. I will never completely KNOW my God until we come face to face.

I truly believe Paul was urging the Corinthians to become mature adults through the Living Word, His Son, every day of their lives. The joy, peace, and love it provides us now is only a foretaste of what is ahead for us in the life after life after death.

Our God is so great! And we should know him, love each other and serve our neighbors. Have you heard that before???