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The Great Supremacy of Love
Both faith and hope are great qualities and gifts, but love is far superior. How? In this passage, Paul is contrasting characteristics of love with spiritual gifts and addressing people’s tendency to center attention upon their gifts and accomplishments. Love is far superior to faith and hope for at least six reasons.
1. Faith focuses upon the revelation of God, whereas love focuses upon God Himself. Love stirs a relationship of adoration and worship. Faith, of course, can stir the same adoration and worship; but faith can also exist without adoration and worship.
2. Hope focuses upon being eternally with God in a perfect world, but again, love is superior because it focuses upon God Himself. A person can have hope in someone without loving him, but a person who loves someone always hopes in him.
3. True agape love does not originate in our human nature, but in the nature of God. God is love.
4. True love is a gift of God. A person can know true love only as he or she comes to know the love of God.
5. Experience and nature itself prove that faith and hope reach and grow people, but love reaches and grows people far more than any other gift or quality.
6. People can believe in God, yet feel they are above others. Their faith may make them proud, arrogant. But true love has no weaknesses. Love never fails; it never comes short. Love involves caring and giving, selflessness and sacrifice.
Without question, what our world needs more than anything else is love. If people loved each other, really loved each other, there would be no more war, crime, abuse, injustice, poverty, hunger, homelessness, deprivation, or immorality. Love is the one ingredient that could revolutionize society. Love is the greatest quality of human life. Love is the supreme quality, the most excellent way for us to live.
Study Questions:
· What feelings arise withing you when you think of the word “love?”
· Is it hard for you to understand the depths of love? Why do you think that is?
· Do you believe that love is superior to hope and faith? Is that hard for you?
· Do you believe that love could revolutionize the world? What are tangible ways that you could love better?
About this Plan
Without question, what our world needs more than anything else is love. If people loved each other, really loved each other, there would be no more war, crime, abuse, injustice, poverty, hunger, homelessness, deprivation, or immorality. Love is the one ingredient that could revolutionize society. Love is the greatest quality of human life. Love is the supreme quality, the most excellent way for us to live. In this 7-day plan, explore the different aspects of love, including how to love others, remaining in Christ's love, God's agape love for us, and why love is greater than faith and hope.
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