If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have 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 do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
During 2026, Peachtree Church is inviting everyone into Cultivate, a churchwide discipleship plan centered on the fruit of the Spirit and the kind of life God longs to grow in us. Throughout the year, we’ll explore how love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control take shape in everyday life through the Spirit’s work. Cultivate brings together worship, Scripture, group guides, and meaningful practices designed to meet you where you are and support growth in ways that fit your season. These twice-weekly devotionals are one way to stay connected, offering reflection and grounding for daily life with God. Whether you engage in many ways or just one, you’re invited to be part of this shared journey of becoming more rooted in who God has created and called you to be.
Devotional
1 Corinthians 13 is one of those passages we think we know well. We hear it at weddings. We see it printed on cards. It feels familiar and gentle. But when Paul first wrote these words, he was not speaking to a couple in love. He was speaking to a church that was gifted and passionate and struggling.
The church in Corinth had strong leaders and they carried on deep theological conversations. They valued knowledge. They admired eloquence. And in the middle of all that, Paul gently but firmly says something startling: none of it matters without love.
“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.” 1 Corinthians 13:1
You can be articulate and still miss the heart of Christ. You can understand Scripture deeply and still fail to reflect Him. Paul goes even further: “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge… but do not have love, I am nothing” (v. 2). That is not a small statement. He is reminding the church that spiritual maturity is not measured by how much we know or how visible our gifts are. It is measured by whether love is shaping us.
Then Paul describes what that love looks like. It is patient. It is kind. It does not dishonor others. It does not keep a record of wrongs. These words land close to home. Love shows up in how we respond when we are interrupted. It appears in the way we speak about someone who hurt us. It reveals itself in whether we quietly keep score or quietly release it.
And then Paul lifts our eyes beyond the present moment. “Love never fails” (v. 8). He reminds the Corinthians that many of the things they prize, eloquence, spiritual experiences, and knowledge are temporary. These gifts serve the church while we still see only in part and understand imperfectly.
Faith, hope, and love remain at the center of the Christian life. We trust God and wait for what He has promised. We love as we have been loved. Yet Paul says love is greatest.
Not because faith and hope are lesser, but because love endures. Faith belongs to this life as we cling to what we cannot yet see. Hope sustains us as we wait for what is not yet fulfilled. But love does not end when fulfillment comes. It abides.
When I read this passage, my thinking begins to shift. I stop asking whether I am impressive enough, articulate enough, informed enough. I begin asking a quieter and more searching question: Am I loving well?
Paul is not asking the Corinthians to become less gifted. He is asking them to love more. What would it look like for love to be the measure of our maturity? Not what we know or accomplish. Not what others notice. But whether love is taking root in us and reflecting the heart of Christ.
For Reflection
- Where might I be relying more on knowledge or competence than on love?
- Is there a relationship right now where patience or kindness is being tested?
- Do I think more about what I am accomplishing or how I am loving?
Prayer
Gracious God,
Thank You for showing us that love is not secondary but central to the life of faith.
Where I have focused on being right more than being loving, redirect me.
Where my heart has grown impatient, steady me.
Form in me a love that reflects Christ. Help me to value what endures and to invest in what lasts. May my life bear the quiet evidence of love that never fails.
In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.
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