1 Corinthians 13

But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love. – Vs 13 MSG

The Beatles were only partially right. There is coming a day when all you will need is love. It's that day when we stand before the Lord at the end of the age. His kingdom will have come in all its glory and we will have glorified bodies and sinless natures. At that time there will no longer be any need for faith, because all that we have been placing our faith in will have been fulfilled. Christ's kingdom will have come. Our redemption will have been completed. All of God's promises will have been kept. There will no longer be any need for hope. Why? Because our eager expectations will have been met. There will no longer be anything we need to hope for. We will have it all! But in that day, there will be a need for love, because God Himself is love. We will spend eternity loving and being loved. Love is eternal. Love lasts. Or as Paul puts it, "love never fails."

Love is the greatest investment we can make. It's the only thing that lasts. Right now we need faith and hope. We need to use our gifts. But all of those things are useless without love. Paul says that loveless words are useless words. If I have more gifts than anybody, but no love, I'm just a nobody. If I give everything away, including my life, but don't give love, it doesn't profit me anything in God's eyes. God measures everything by love. Love is how the world knows we are His disciples. Jesus Christ was the greatest expression of God's love to us. Everything else has its time and place. Gifts are temporary, but love is timeless. Love is the currency of heaven. It gives everything else its value. It is the gold-standard of life, both now and for eternity. If all our religious actions and activities are not backed by love, they are just empty acts. They have no value. They are meaningless and powerless to produce change.

But love isn't just some feeling. It expresses itself in actions and attitudes. "Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. Love doesn't strut, Doesn't have a swelled head, Doesn't force itself on others, Isn't always "me first," Doesn't fly off the handle, Doesn't keep score of the sins of others, Doesn't revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Doesn't revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end" (Vs 3-8 MSG).

So in a way, the Beatles were right. All you need is love. Because with love, you will have everything you need to do all you need to do. Love gives meaning to our faith, confidence to our hope, purpose to our gifts, power to our actions, and value to our lives, both in this age and in the one to come.

Father, may I continue to learn the value of love. It isn't just a feeling, it is the essence of who You are and therefore it should be the expression of who I am and what I do. Thank You for loving me so much that You sent Your Son to die for me. May I learn to love others with the same intensity. Amen