Love Never Fails

Love never fails.

1 Corinthians 13:8

Eusebius, the “father of church history,” wrote how the early Christians demonstrated love during plagues and epidemics: “Most of our brethren showed love and loyalty in not sparing themselves while helping one another, tending to the sick with no thought of danger, and gladly departing this life after becoming infected with their disease. Many who nursed others to health died themselves.”

He then added, “The heathen were the exact opposite. They pushed away those with the first signs of the disease and fled from their dearest.”

Philippians 2:4 gives a great definition of love: “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” Love is seeking the best of the one loved. It is meeting the needs of another without thought of our own. It is doing for another what we would like to have done for ourselves (Matthew 7:12).

On a very practical level, this involves a lot of little things—sharing housework with your spouse, remaining patient with your children, listening to a friend, sharing praise with a coworker, helping a neighbor in need, or maybe just holding your tongue when you’d rather let loose. This kind of love never fails.