When you first read this passage, it seems like a very beautiful, poetic, easy scripture to grasp on to and apply to life. Everybody loves love, right? This part of scripture, in fact, is a very beautiful part of the Word, but for deeper reasons than at first glance. Paul is in the middle of addressing the Corinthians on many, many aspects of the Christian life. He just finished discussing all the Spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to each of us for "the common good." He also felt the need to assure that each gift is as important/needed as the other and not to make judgments against other's gifting, or your own. Everything given by the Lord in this manner is for the common good, or for the good of everyone. In chapter 12, the last line is "And still I show you a more excellent way."
A way to what?
The way to LIVE.
The bulk of this letter is teaching his fellow siblings how to live now that they belong to Christ. All the gifts he just talked about are great and have their place, but chapter thirteen talks about something beyond what he just explained. The first three verses sets up what he just discussed, gifts given to each of us.....BUT, if these gifts are void of this next thing, then they are absolutely pointless. LOVE.
What if you were as eloquent or wise of a speaker as you imagine an angel to be? Thats great, but if you don't have any love for why or to whom you're speaking, then who cares?
What if you could prophesy so powerfully, or knew all the mysteries of this entire world along with having all the knowledge one could possibly have, but your motives are loveless.....then who cares? There is no worth to it.
What if you are a very generous person with your things and even your own life? It would be a try and a miss if you don't have love to fill it with purpose.
Want to know where the powerhouse gifting is? Its in the everyday. Its revealed when you are running out of patience. How can I even offer patience if there are not situations that call for it? Its not so pretty at first glance, because I am getting irritated at what is before me, but the law of love dictates that I choose to be patient in this moment. Because the greatest gift of Love, Jesus, shows me thats what He would do, and can do through me.
If I am called on to be kind, then I am in a situation that I don't want to be kind. If I am called on to NOT be jealous, then I am facing the temptation to be jealous. If I am called on to not seek my own, then I am in a place where I want to do what I want to do without considering others. If I am called on to not brag, then apparently I am in a position of "success" or "winning" and I want everyone to know about it and put all the attention/focus on me. If I am called on to not be arrogant or prideful, then I have been faced with the moment of not giving God the glory for something so grand.
What is it that directs that moment for me? We see here that we are not directed by our emotions, but something much greater, something much harder, something true.
In verse 7, we are asked to "bear all things." That sounds like a burden.....to bear up under something, to put up with something. Maybe life is looking pretty messy and unfair right now, your God see this and yet asks us to bear through it and not give up because we.... love. To be asked not to lose faith, means your losing site of the good of the situation, but don't ..... love hangs on. You'll be tempted to lose your hope or to quit trying, but love asks you not to.
At some point, the obvious or "public" gifts of prophesy, speaking in tongues or having special knowledge about things will become useless. But the often quiet and discreet, but deep and powerful gift of love will never go away....this one you will take with you into heaven.
Desire the gifts so that you can be a blessing to those around you, but don't operate without the very essence or reasons for them. Don't offer empty the empty shell of an act or word, offer it filled with the essence of Christ himself....LOVE.