What is your greatest success? Your highest achievement? What is the highest achievement you dare dream of? History is filled with inspiring stories of inventors, writers, founding fathers, Olympic athletes, and record-holders, men who championed great causes, made great sacrifices, and changed the world: Luther, Shakespeare, Washington, Monroe, Franklin, Edison, George Washington Carver, Churchill, MLK, Jesse Owens, Henry Ford (affordable cars), Fleming (penicillin and antibiotics), Jenner and Salk (vaccines). So many amazing accomplishments!
But 2,000 years ago, Paul (a brilliant achiever himself, who wrote the most books of the Bible (14)) said LOVE is the highest achievement. In fact, nothing you will ever do even matters if you don’t do it with love:
“If I speak in tongues but do not have love, I might as well be an idol worshiper. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries, and have great faith, so I can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I donate all my possessions to feed the poor, and surrender my body to be burned at the stake for a noble cause, but do not have love, I will receive no reward!
“Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not make people look bad; it is not selfish, is not provoked, does not keep record of wrongs, does not laugh at unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
“Love never fails; but in heaven gifts of prophecy will be done away; tongues will cease; gifts of knowledge will be done away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfection of heaven comes, the partial will be done away…. In heaven only faith, hope, and love will remain. But the greatest of these is love” 1 Corinthians 13:1-13.
Dear God, may we work to be loving first, and may all our achievements be done with Your love. Keep us humble and helpful, loving and kind, to our family, friends, and strangers.
ΑΩ
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