^“So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13 (ESV).

When Jesus says that the greatest commandment is to love God and love others, that gets my attention. When the apostle Paul says that of faith, hope, and love, the greatest of these is love, that gets my attention. The thirteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians is called the “love chapter.”  It was my Grandma’s favorite passage so I have read it for years. It is even more powerful when you realize the context. Paul has just written a powerful explanation of the spiritual gifts in the previous chapter, and he talks about how we are the body of Christ. This is all very significant teaching to a believer, but then he goes on to say in verse 1 of Chapter 13, “And now, I will show you THE MOST EXCELLENT WAY” and he begins to tell us of the importance of LOVE.

There’s a saying attributed to Teddy Roosevelt, “Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” I think this is what Paul is trying to tell us. Every single position here at Nashville Rescue Mission includes the role of influencing someone—guests, program participants, staff, peers, volunteers, managers. Sometimes you can influence through your position; however, that is never long-lasting. We may be able to influence through our knowledge, but that can easily be overturned by someone else with more or different knowledge.  What Teddy and the Apostle Paul are telling us is that when we first love those whom we serve or work alongside or live with, then everything else good is possible. God is love, and God is good, so when we love, we are most like God and have the ability to be and do the most good.

The English language does not do justice to the word “love.” Or maybe it’s just our American culture. We love everything. We love flowers, chocolate, and a good book (or at least I do). We love the Titans and the Predators (at least when they win). However, you can see that this term implies more of a feeling.  More accurately, love is an action, not a feeling.  The Greek language has at least four words for “love:” Eros (sexual love), philia (brotherly love and affection), storge (family love), and agape love. Agape love is the type of love that is described in 1 Corinthians, and is sometimes translated “charity.” It is a “self-giving love that loves without demanding or expecting repayment. It is a love so great that it can be given to the unlovable or unappealing. It gives because it loves; it does not love in order to receive. It has much to do with self-denial for the sake of another.” It’s easy to love chocolate; it’s not so easy to show agape love. Agape love is a spiritual love that we cannot have unless we have the Holy Spirit. Agape love is the supreme fruit of the Holy Spirit. Agape love is the love that Jesus displayed toward each of us.*

One big difference between gifts (plural) of the spirit and fruit (singular) of the spirit is this:

1. Every believer has at least one of the gifts of the spirit (1 Corinthians 12:7-11).
2. All believers possess all the dimensions of the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

Therefore, as a believer, you possess this gift of agape love.  However, as believers, we must intentionally practice this gift and hone it as a skill in order for it to be visible in us by others. I will be using the next few Chaplain’s Corners to write more about this, and I encourage all of us to work hard to manifest agape, or charitable love toward others.

*Words in quotes from this reference: https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/guzik_david/StudyGuide2017-1Cr/1Cr-13.cfm

In Christ,

Judy