Love

“But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love.” - 1 Corinthians 13:13

When you hear the word greatness, what comes to mind? When I hear the word "greatness" I think about the most important people in my life and even throughout the world. There is one thing that separates these select few from others and makes them great is their love changed the world for the better. We can all think of examples of people like this in our own life.

In my own life it was my parents because they put my needs above their own. They were there for me in every poor decision and failure I made and was there to pick me back up. They lovingly encouraged me to begin again. They saw the good in me and helped to draw it out, no matter how long it took me to mature. What made my parents great was their love and faith that God was still molding me even though I messed up. Their love encouraged me and brought me from death to life in Christ. They became my example of Christian love. They always saw the best in others and sacrificed their time and money to help those who were cast off by society. They were quick to give and quick to love.

Each day, we are confronted with a dual standard of greatness. God sets a spiritual standard of love and humility in which we sacrifice our lives to bring light to a darkened world. It is not based on who we are but on whose we are. It is not measured by what we gain but what we give.

Love is often invisible to people and is not always rewarded with fame or wealth. For those who love, their reward comes with the joyful faces of each life they have impacted, and every soul saved. They labor to make the world a better place because their love sees the possibility of a brighter future. We have public examples of true love and greatness such as Billy Graham or Mother Teresa. They loved the unlovable on the streets and in prisons and brought hope when it was needed. Regardless of the specific situation, what made them great is the love they showed and the lives they impacted.

On the contrary, the world often measures success by how far and accurately one can throw a football or baseball, how fast they can run, or if they are athletically gifted enough to be able to catch, jump, or hit better than the average human. We remember their championships, their quarterback ratings, batting averages, or their earned run averages. Yet if we are honest, we must acknowledge how little their achievements actually affect our lives. They are rewarded for their physical abilities with great riches, but do they truly make the world a better place? Too often, they struggle with drug abuse, depression, or suicide because society's measure of greatness is a facade.

In Luke 15, Jesus was preparing to sacrifice His life as an atonement for the whole world, when a dispute arose amongst His disciples about who was the greatest. Jesus responded that the greatest must become the servant of all. He said that "this is my commandment, that ye love one another, even as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:12-13).” Jesus said that love is fulfilled through laying down our lives in service to another.

Jesus did not issued this command because He wanted to make us miserable. He was showing us the way to true joy, peace, and greatness. Love not only makes this world a better place but it reveals our purpose which is “ We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). We are Christ's representatives on earth and called to show the way to eternal life. Our love brightens the darkness and can soften the hardest of hearts.

We have all heard that “it is better to give than to receive.” Deep within us the Spirit of God yearns to love through us. When we surrender to love, it rises as a wellspring of joy. It is like a whisper from the Father saying well done my good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:23). Hate and evil is evident throughout the world, but so is God's love! When we encourage the hopeless, God's love and light shines through us for all to see. We live, and we love.