Love is the source

When God told me to study love, I had to ask; why love? What about hope, or joy, or passion, or patience, or kindness, or boldness? Why love? Why is love such a big deal? Why is it more important than prophecy, or speaking in tongues, or faith, or hope? Those things are important. Why aren’t these mentioned? Why is love such a big deal?

Here’s why: If you don’t have love, you can’t have those other gifts. If you can’t love, you can’t be kind. If you don’t have love, you can’t have faith, or hope. But if you have love, these things will be added; they will just bubble over without you thinking at it. If you love God, you’ll trust Him. If you love His people, you will want to put them first and serve them. It all comes from love. Love is the tree; everything else is the fruit.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
–1 Corinthians 13:1-4

On Sunday, we’ll start looking at Jesus’ life and how He lived out love.