If there is one chapter in the Bible that people recognize instantly, it’s 1 Corinthians 13. It’s read at weddings, printed on wall art, and quoted in greeting cards. But Paul didn’t write these words for a bride and groom standing at an altar. He wrote them for a fractured, prideful, spiritually gifted, relationally broken…
Category: What Love Does
Love Endures, Believes, and Hopes Through Every Circumstance
Some seasons of life feel like a marathon you didn’t sign up for. The road is long. The obstacles are real. The discouragement is heavy. In those moments, it’s easy to wonder: How do I keep going? How do I stay faithful when life is hard? Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 4:6–19 and 1:4–9, paired with…
Love Conronts Sin With Truth and Grace Part 2: Acceptance vs Approval
Acceptance and Approval—two words that often get tangled together but carry very different meanings, especially in the life of a Christian who wants to love well without compromising truth. Definitions & Core Meanings Acceptance Root idea: To receive, welcome, or acknowledge the inherent worth of a person. Biblical resonance: Hospitality, compassion, recognition of shared humanity. Greek parallels: Proslambanō —…
Love Confronts Sin With Truth and Grace
Confrontation is uncomfortable. Most of us avoid it whenever possible. But Scripture shows us that love sometimes requires courage — the courage to speak truth that heals rather than to remain silent and harm. In 1 Corinthians 5:1–13 and 10:14–22, Paul addresses two serious issues in the Corinthian church: open sin and creeping idolatry. When paired…
Word Study: Edification
Every so often, I come across a word that makes me pause—sometimes because I don’t fully understand it, sometimes because I’ve heard it so often that its meaning has become blurry, and sometimes simply because I’m curious about where it came from and what it truly carries beneath the surface. When that happens, I like…
Love Lays Down Its Rights for the Sake of Others
We live in a culture that prizes personal freedom. “My rights.” “My choices.” “My preferences.” “My way.” But Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 8:7–13 and 10:23–33, paired with the simple but challenging line from 1 Corinthians 13:5, offers a radically different vision: Love does not insist on its own way — it uses freedom to build…
Love Honors Others With Kindness and Courtesy
Courtesy isn’t a word we use often in church conversations, yet Paul treats it as a central expression of Christian love. In 1 Corinthians 11:17–34 and 14:26–40, he confronts a church whose worship gatherings had become places of rudeness, disregard, and self-promotion. When paired with 1 Corinthians 13:4–5, the message becomes unmistakable: Love expresses itself in…
Love Refuses Envy and Celebrates Others
Envy is one of those quiet sins we rarely talk about, yet it has a loud impact on our hearts. It creeps in when someone else succeeds, grows, or receives attention we wish we had. It whispers that we’re falling behind, that we’re not enough, that someone else’s gain is somehow our loss. Paul addresses…
Love Chooses Humility Over Arrogance
We live in a world obsessed with strength. We celebrate the impressive, the influential, the accomplished. We’re trained to hide our weaknesses and highlight our wins. But Paul’s words to the Corinthians flip that entire script upside down. In 1 Corinthians 1:26–31 and 4:6–7, Paul reminds the church that the story of God is not a…
Love Heals What Division Breaks
Division is nothing new. We see it everywhere — in families, workplaces, neighborhoods, and yes, even in churches. But long before our modern fractures, the early church in Corinth was already struggling with the same problem. Their story reminds us that giftedness doesn’t guarantee unity, and passion doesn’t automatically produce love. This week, we step…