Going Deeper in "Love Beyond Words"
1 Corinthians 13:4-13
4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! 9 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! 10 But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless.
11 When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. 12 Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.
Read the following a few times:
Reflect on the following:
1. Do you believe God loves you no matter what you do?
2. How do you define love?
3. How has love changed your life?
4. How is love part of your daily life? How do you receive love?
5. How is love part of your daily life? How do you express it? Do others know you love them by what you say and do?
6. What are the specific characteristics of love listed in verses 4-7? How do these qualities challenge our understanding of love?
7. Do you feel you can find love in your heart for people that have hurt you? How can we practice patience and kindness?
8. How can we get across to people that love is the answer?
9. Why do you think Paul emphasizes that love is not envious, boastful, or proud? How do these traits affect relationships?
10. Do you tell people that you love that you love them everyday?
11. What does it mean to “put childish ways behind” as mentioned in verse 11, and how does this relate to spiritual maturity?
12. In verse 13, Paul mentions that faith, hope, and love remain, but the greatest of these is love. Why is love considered the greatest?
Challenges
1. Choose one characteristic of love from verses 4-7 and focus on living it out intentionally for the next week in your relationships. Reflect on how it changes your interactions.
2. Identify a relationship where love has been challenging for you. Commit to showing unconditional love in that relationship through one specific action this week.
3. Reflect on how you can deepen your understanding and practice of love in your spiritual journey. Set a goal to grow in one area of love and pray for God’s guidance and strength.