1Corinthians  ◦   Chapter 13

1If I am gifted to speak the language of people and angels but do not have God's love in my heart, I am only making meaningless noise, because I remain terminal and dying.2If I am gifted with prophetic insight and understand all mysteries and knowledge, and if I am trusted to move mountains but do not have God's love in my heart, I am a fraud because I am still dying in sin and am nothing at all.3If I give away all my possessions to the poor and die as a martyr tied to a burning stake but don't have God's love in my heart, I am still unhealed and have gained nothing.

4Love is the principle upon which life and health are built to operate, and when active in intelligent beings, love is patient and kind. Love gives in order to bless others and does not envy, boast, or promote self.5Love is not intrusive, rude, selfish, irritable, or hot-tempered. And love doesn't hold grudges or keep a record of wrongs.6Love takes no pleasure in evil but rejoices with the truth.7Love always protects, always heals, always restores, builds up, trusts, hopes, and perseveres.

8Love originates in God and therefore will never stop and never fail. But one day, prophecies will cease, talking will be paused, and human knowledge will fade.9We are finite–knowing just a part of all truth, and prophecy is just a piece of a greater whole.10But when God restores the universe to His perfect design of love, all imperfection will disappear.11When I was a child, I talked like a child, bragging about myself; I thought like a child, focusing on the dos and don'ts, and I reasoned like a child. But when I grew up, I embraced God's kingdom of love and put the childish ways behind me.12Our minds are so darkened by selfishness that we see God's kingdom poorly, like a reflection in a cloudy mirror; but when he returns, we shall see perfectly–face to face! Right now I know only part of God's reality; then–I will have all questions answered and fully know the truth, just as God fully knows me.

13So these three endure: trust, hope and love; but the greatest of these is love.