Fuzzy_bread: The Greatest Of These Is Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Psalm 136

"If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing(1 Corinthians 13:3)."

At some time or another, every single one of us on this earth have stumbled over this passage and tripped. It's one of the most important verses in the bible, one of the most easy to forget.

• If I have memorized the entire bible from cover to cover, chapter and verse, in all languages and translations, but have not love, I am nothing.
• If I read my bible every day, but don't love or care for anyone, I am nothing.
• If I can prove the existence of God in a lab setting, but have not love, I am nothing.
• If my apologetics can destroy every antimissionary or countermissionary argument, but I have not love, I am nothing.
• If I have seen visions and miracles and every imaginable paranormal event, if I have seen the very face of the invisible Almighty God and touched it and not died, but have not love, I am nothing.
• If I can write a story or a devotion or a bible testimony or anything that can move the mountains to tears, but have not love, I'm nothing.
• If I can write the world's most compelling and convincing argument for the existence of God and the reason why Christianity is the one true religion, but have not love, I am nothing.
• If I can make a fursuit that makes people call animal control, but have not love, I'm nothing.
• If I successfully distance myself from the furry fandom and all related nerdhood, and am considered `cool,' but have not love, I am nothing.
• If I prove my intellectual and business superiority over all furries, but have not love, I am nothing.
• If I direct a movie that rakes in more at the box office than any other film that will ever be made, but have not love, I'm nothing.
• If I can paint or draw a picture so lifelike that people think it's a window and hurt themselves on the canvas, but have not love, I'm nothing.
• If I can make a comic book that makes the most popular comic book look like Family Circus, if I sculpt a statue that's so lifelike that people ask why it's not breathing, but have not love, I am nothing.
• If I become a P.H.D. in all subjects, if the entire MENSA organization gets jealous of my intellect and calls *me* a nerd, if I win every debate I enter, if my arguments debunk every argument or theory remotely significant in the realm of philosophy and law, but have not love, I'm nothing.
• If I've read every book ever made, become the all time champion on every game show imaginable, but have not love, I am nothing.
• If I'm an academy award winning actor/director who gets raved about by every known film critic, but have not love, I'm nothing.
• If I can program a video game system all by myself, complete with software that makes all other game systems and games look like Pac- Man, but have not love, I'm nothing.
• If I can dance on hot coals, if I can sing better than any musician who ever lived, if David Copperfield sees me do magic and gets really impressed, but have not love, I'm nothing.

Dear Father in heaven, it's easy for us to forget the most important lesson your Son Jesus taught us. The lesson on the importance of love above all other earthly things. Sometimes we Christians forget to love, even though it should be the most important we ever do. We try to keep the commandments perfectly, we try to argue for people to believe what we believe, but we keep forgetting to love. Lord, help us to practice our love so we won't forget it. Help us to place more importance on sharing the love of Christ in words and actions, and less importance on arguing and trivial matters. We pray this in your Son's holy name, amen.