The Greatest Is Love
Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 13
These three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Loving one another isn’t a matter of warm, fuzzy feelings and weak knees and pounding hearts. It’s a matter of doing the right thing because that’s what Jesus would do. Sometimes it can even bring unpleasant results for us. Loving often calls for doing the unexpected.
As followers of Jesus, we know that love is not something we can just opt to do or not do. It’s a command from our Master, who showed us how to love. If we’re asked why we are showing love, we can answer, “Because we’re disciples of someone who loves us. We do it for Jesus’ sake.” What’s more, we can show love only by the power of the Holy Spirit working in us. Then we’re able, like Mother Teresa, to see that we’re serving Christ by loving the people we interact with and serve.
Loving “one another” is often challenging. It may call us to love the strong-willed child or an aging parent or spouse angry with dementia. At home or church it may involve loving someone who is always negative and critical. At work it may be the coworker claiming to be indispensable while barely doing their job. It may mean foregoing a new coat so that someone else can have one. The “other” in our lives could be someone we don’t even know but who comes to love Jesus because of something we did.
To whom will you show Jesus’ love today?
Lord, help us to see others as you see them. Help us to be persons who show that we follow the example you gave us. For your glory and in your name, Amen.
About the author — George Vink
Pastor George Vink has served as a pastor in the Christian Reformed Church for more than 30 years in British Columbia, Montana, Michigan, and California. He and his wife, Shirley, have four married sons and nine grandchildren.
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