When Paul the apostle and prodigious letter-writer wanted to describe the fruit, the resulting bumper crop, of a life lived for Christ and controlled by the Holy Spirit, the first word that flowed from his pen was love. (Galatians 5:22) He lists eight other virtues in quick succession, but love gets top billing once again in his letter to the church in Corinth:
So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)
Why Is Love the Greatest?
It makes sense that the greatest fruit of the Spirit would also be the greatest gift of the Spirit. Love endures forever, and life in the new creation will be characterized by love. Therefore, it’s no surprise when John chimes in later in the New Testament that “whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.”
Believers are called to be like our Father, whose nature is love. As “chips off the old block,” we are called to a life of love.
We could spend a lot of time debating love’s boundaries and defining characteristics. Paul gives us a push in the right direction with his assertion that “love builds up.” (1 Corinthians 8:1)
In his classic “love chapter,” Paul spills as much ink telling the church what love isn’t as he does in providing synonyms and definitions for love. Love is patient and kind. It is not envious or boastful. He wasn’t providing a definition for love—he was calling us to DO IT!
In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul wasn’t providing a definition for love—he was calling us to DO IT!
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For some deep thinking about his own obedience to God’s call to love, Adrian Fullle headed to the Rocky Mountains for a long hike. Realizing he could have loved better, he began to compile mentally the collected wisdom of scripture and the reflections of wise thinkers to encourage him.
What began as an act of personal spiritual formation has found its way into a resource for others. Love, A Daily Companion invites readers to a 21-day journey toward a new habit of loving fully and loving well.
Each entry features a quotation about love followed by Fulle’s reflections. Gleaned from scripture or the words of poets and great thinkers, each offering acknowledges that loving others isn’t always easy, but it “always leads to something better. Something more whole.”
If it takes 21 days to build a new habit, this compact little book is a good start toward building the daily practice of showing up, paying attention, and serving our people well.
Holding You in the Light,
If it takes 21 days to build a new habit, this compact little book is a good start toward building the daily practice of showing up, paying attention, and serving our people well.
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Living Our Days 
The outcomes of focusing on love are sure to be far-reaching. Such a collection of devotionals would no doubt be worth reading and meditating on again and again. Thank you for sharing about this resource, Michele!
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Yes, I’m looking forward to another reading!
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This sounds like a really helpful book. I think love is something we all continually need to grow in.
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It is a great resource with lots of rich quotations all in one little book!
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Michele,
Thanks so much for stopping by and for your kind words!!
Hugs,
Deb
Debbie-Dabble Blog
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Love God
🩷🩷🩷
Love People
🩷🩷🩷
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That’s the recipe!
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There’s a huge lack of love in a number of countries at the moment. Probably more people need to really understand the Bible instead of pretending they’re Christian.
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Wow, that’s a great insight.
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#TalkaboutitTuesday
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