The Greatest of These Is Love

For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

1 CORINTHIANS 13:12–13

 There was once an aged Christian man who was dying. A friend came to see him, and the dying man said, “I’ve just had three other visitors. Two of them are gone, but the third visitor will stay with me forever.” The friend asked, “Who were these visitors?” The aged man said, “Well, the first visitor was Faith. I visited with Faith and enjoyed Faith, but then I told Faith good-bye. I said, ‘Thank God for your company, Faith. I have walked with you since I first trusted Christ. But now I’m going to die and I won’t need you anymore, because Faith will be lost in sight when I get to heaven and see Jesus face-to-face.’” 

Then he continued, “My second visitor was Hope. We also had a wonderful time. But then I said to Hope, ‘Farewell, Hope. You’ve helped me in the hour of battle. You’ve been with me in distress when my heart was broken and when I’ve had so many needs. You’ve been there like a rock, like an anchor. But, Hope, I won’t need you anymore. I’m going to heaven where hope turns to reality.’” 

But then the man said, “The third visitor who came to see me is still with me, and will always be with me. His name is Love. I said to him, ‘Love, you’ve been my friend. You’ve linked me to God. You’ve linked me to my fellowman. You have comforted and gladdened me in all of my pilgrimages. “‘Now I’m going to heaven. But, Love, I’m not going to leave you behind. You will enter the city of God with me. And you, my friend, will be perfected in heaven.’” 

Is that not what the Bible says? Look at the final verses of 1 Corinthians 13. Of the three gifts Paul mentions, the greatest is love. Do you want to give others the best Christmas gift possible? Give them the love of Christ. He is our life, our joy. He is the story of Christmas.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Fate or God's Sovereign Plan?

But I am the LORD your God from the land of Egypt; you know no God but me, and besides me there is no savior.  - Hosea 13:4

"You shall have no other gods before me. - Exodus 20:3

everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."  - Isaiah 43:7

9 All the nations gather together, and the peoples assemble. Who among them can declare this, and show us the former things? Let them bring their witnesses to prove them right, and let them hear and say, It is true. 

10 "You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. 

11 I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior. 

12 I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and I am God.  - Isaiah 43:9-12

6 Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: "I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. 

7 Who is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and set it before me, since I appointed an ancient people. Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen. 

8 Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any."  - Isaiah 44:6-8

5 I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, 

6 that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the LORD, and there is no other. 

7 I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the LORD, who does all these things.  - Isaiah 45:5-7

I made the earth and created man on it; it was my hands that stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host.  - Isaiah 45:12

17 But Israel is saved by the LORD with everlasting salvation; you shall not be put to shame or confounded to all eternity. 

18 For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!): "I am the LORD, and there is no other. 

19 I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, 'Seek me in vain.' I the LORD speak the truth; I declare what is right. 

20 "Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, you survivors of the nations! They have no knowledge who carry about their wooden idols, and keep on praying to a god that cannot save. 

21 Declare and present your case; let them take counsel together! Who told this long ago? Who declared it of old? Was it not I, the LORD? And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me. 

22 "Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. 

23 By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: 'To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.'  - Isaiah 45:17-23

Peace to Those with Whom He Is Pleased

“And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:12–14)

Peace for whom? There is a somber note sounded in the angels’ praise. Peace among those on whom his favor rests. Peace among those with whom he is pleased. But without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). So Christmas does not bring peace to all.

“This is the judgment,” Jesus said, “the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil” (John 3:19). Or as the aged Simeon said when he saw the child Jesus, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed . . . so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:34–35). Oh, how many there are who look out on a bleak and chilly Christmas day and see no more than that — a sign to be opposed.

“He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:11–12). It was only to his disciples that Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).

The people who enjoy the peace of God that surpasses all understanding are those who in everything by prayer and supplication let their requests be made known to God (Philippians 4:6–7).

The key that unlocks the treasure chest of God’s peace is faith in the promises of God. So Paul prays, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing” (Romans 15:13). And when we do trust the promises of God and have joy and peace and love, then God is glorified.

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased! Everyone — from every people, tongue, tribe, and nation — who would believe.

John Piper 

The Victory of Love

Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.                           

 1 CORINTHIANS 13:8–10

Let’s consider the victory of love found in the wonderful declaration of verse 8: “Love never fails.” That’s one of the greatest statements in the Bible. Love is eternal. It will never pass away. Notice the things that will pass away, however. Prophecy, tongues, and knowledge are impressive gifts, but they will all

pass away. Remember verse 2, where Paul says that prophecy, knowledge, and faith add up to nothing without love. Paul is telling us not to get puffed up about what we know, because when it’s all said and done we only know “in part” (v. 9). 

The truth is that we don’t know 1 percent of anything. Some people think they know the future, but all they really have is an educated guess, or maybe a hunch. We are also warned against getting puffed up about the gifts we possess. The gift of tongues was one of the more spectacular spiritual gifts for the early Church, but the gift of tongues fades and will be stilled. Love, however, endures. 

A little child can ask questions about heaven that a doctor of theology can’t answer. We need humility in these areas. But one thing we can know is that love will last. Love is more important than education. It’s more important than ability. It is more important than prophecy. All of these things are going to pass away. May your family be known for the gospel it shares and the love it shows. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be famous for the gospel and famous for love? 

When Christmas guests walk into your home, may they say, “This is a home that loves.” Love is not only the greatest virtue; it is also the greatest commandment. Jesus Himself said that love for God is the first and greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37–40). If love is the greatest commandment, then what would be the greatest sin? It must be the failure to love, because that would be breaking the greatest commandment. Love is the greatest virtue and the greatest commandment. It is the greatest testimony!

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

No Detour from Calvary

And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (Luke 2:6–7)

You would think that if God so rules the world as to use an empire-wide census to bring Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, he surely could have seen to it that a room was available in the inn.

Yes, he could have. He absolutely could have! And Jesus could have been born into a wealthy family. He could have turned stone into bread in the wilderness. He could have called 10,000 angels to his aid in Gethsemane. He could have come down from the cross and saved himself. The question is not what God could do, but what he willed to do.

God’s will was that though Christ was rich, yet for your sake he became poor. The “No Vacancy” signs over all the motels in Bethlehem were for your sake. “For your sake he became poor” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

God rules all things — even hotel capacities and available Airbnbs — for the sake of his children. The Calvary road begins with a “No Vacancy” sign in Bethlehem and ends with the spitting and scoffing of the cross in Jerusalem.

And we must not forget that he said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross” (Luke 9:23).

We join him on the Calvary road and hear him say, “Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20).

To the one who calls out enthusiastically, “I will follow you wherever you go!” Jesus responds, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Luke 9:57–58).

Yes, God could have seen to it that Jesus have a room at his birth. But that would have been a detour off the Calvary road.

John Piper 

Love is Not Rude or Selfish

Love . . . does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

1 CORINTHIANS 13:5–7

Continue to think with me about additional virtues of love. How many times have you heard someone say, “Well, I just say what I think. I tell it like it is”? More often than not, “telling it like it is” is an excuse for rudeness. It springs from a lack of love. According to Paul, love “does not behave rudely” (v. 5). He is referring to unseemly, ill-mannered behavior. Love is not that way! Good manners can be a tremendous witness for Christ at Christmas. When the lines at the store get long and tempers get short, a word spoken in well-mannered love can soothe troubled waters. 

The apostle Paul follows this with another crucial quality of Christlike love: Love “does not seek its own.” Another way to say this is that love is not selfish. Our problem as sinful human beings is that we want what we want when we want it. If we would cure selfishness, it would be like replanting the Garden of Eden!

Christmas is a wonderful time for a lesson on selflessness, especially with children. Little eyes and hearts often become filled with unbridled desire as children begin thinking about the gifts they want for Christmas. We all need to remember a truth that Jesus taught: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). 

Real love is also even tempered, or “not easily provoked.” It doesn’t have a hair trigger. Neither is love suspicious. It “thinks no evil.” What that means is, love doesn’t think the worst. It’s not paranoid. It doesn’t join the society of mudslingers. The person who doesn’t trust anyone does not really know true love. In verse 6, Paul mentions another virtue of love. He says that love does not take satisfaction in sin. It’s one thing to sin, but it’s another to rejoice in sin or to brag about it. Love rejoices when truth triumphs, not when evil does. 

Finally, love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, [and] endures all things” (v. 7). That doesn’t mean we should love and endorse wickedness. But it does mean that we will love those who have failed, just as God has loved us.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

For God’s Little People

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. (Luke 2:1–5)

Have you ever thought what an amazing thing it is that God ordained beforehand that the Messiah be born in Bethlehem (as the prophecy in Micah 5:2 shows); and that he so ordained things that when the time came, the Messiah’s mother and legal father were living not in Bethlehem but in Nazareth; and that in order to fulfill his word and bring two unheard-of, insignificant, little people to Bethlehem that first Christmas, God put it in the heart of Caesar Augustus that all the Roman world should be enrolled each in his own town? A decree for the entire world in order to move two people seventy miles!

Have you ever felt, like me, little and insignificant in a world of seven billion people, where all the news is about big political and economic and social movements and outstanding people with global significance and lots of power and prestige?

If you have, don’t let that make you disheartened or unhappy. For it is implicit in Scripture that all the mammoth political forces and all the giant industrial complexes, without their even knowing it, are being guided by God, not for their own sake, but for the sake of God’s little people — the little Mary and the little Joseph who have to be got from Nazareth to Bethlehem. God wields an empire to fulfill his word and bless his children.

Do not think, because you experience adversity in your little world of experience, that the hand of the Lord is shortened. It is not our prosperity or our fame but our holiness that he seeks with all his heart. And to that end, he rules the whole world. As Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.” And he is always turning it for his saving and sanctifying and eternal purposes among his people.

He is a big God for little people, and we have great cause to rejoice that, unbeknownst to them, all the kings and presidents and premiers and chancellors and chiefs of the world follow the sovereign decrees of our Father in heaven, that we, the children, might be conformed to the image of his Son, Jesus Christ — and then enter his eternal glory.

John Piper