Love Never Fails

"Love never fails." 
1 Corinthians 13:8a

Every once in awhile, we need to get back to the basics. We spoend so much time living, studying, and perfecting the Christian life that the foundations often get covered up by the new things we are learning. But one thing remains, as the scripture says, and that one thing is love. The Bible is clear that love is the foundation of everything. It is the basis of our relationship with God, it is the pathway to our salvation, and it is the vehicle that makes all things possible.
    We can never forget that God is love. He is more than just a loving God, he IS love. You cannot separate God and his love, they are one in the same. Since this is true, you and I have experienced the greatest expression of love, the cross of Christ, that has ever been given. We are experiencing that same love every day because we have a continuing, growing relationship with God. That relationship will never fail. It will sustain us through all the trials of life.
    Because we have God within us in the person of the Holy Spirit, love is being actively manifested in our lives every moment of the day. To illustrate this, I would challenge you to read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. Whenever you see the word 'love,' insert 'The Holy Spirit.' Since God is love, we can take the liberty to do this and it gives us a new perspective on the fact that the love of God lives in us through the Holy Spirit. The foundation of love is always with us even though we may lose focus and dwell on other things. All other things we deem important; spiritual gifts, church, fellowship, Bible reading, prayer, etc. all flow through love. If we put them ahead of love, we have missed the point. The foundation of all these other things is the cornerstone of love in Christ Jesus.
    Let's take some time to center our lives again on love. When we begin to understand the love of God and accept it as our living foundation, we will have to change our perspective. When love invades our life, we can't help but give it to others. Matthew 12:34 says, "Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." If love is in our hearts, it will come out of our mouths. If hatefulness is in our hearts, it will come out instead. So let's choose the way of love, yielding to the Holy Spirit. Because love will never fail!