Leslie N. Pollard, Ph.D., D.Min., M.B.A.

Printed at the Review and Herald Graphics 55 West Oak Drive,

Hagerstown, Maryland 21740

LovingLeadership

Oakwood University Huntsville, Alabama 35896

Printed 2011

A collection of Bible versions of 1 Corinthians 13 along with

commentaries and suggested faith-building activities.

Author: Leslie N. Pollard

Editor: Dwain Esmond

Copy editor: Debbie Millet

Design: Bill Cleveland

Thanks to Adventist Risk Management for its support in the

completion of this project.

dedication

This book is dedicated to friends and family who, through the

years, have enriched my life by their unconditional love. Your

love has been nurturing, inspiring, and refreshing. And you know

who you are.

tabLetabLet of cof cof ontents

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iNTRODUCTiON .......................... 2POLLARD’s TRANsLATiON .......................... 12NEw iNTERNATiONAL VERsiON, ©2010 ............................... 15NEw AMERiCAN sTANDARD BiBLE .......................... 17WorldWide english (neW TesTamenT) .......................... 19wYCLiffE NEw TEsTAMENT .......................... 21NEw iNTERNATiONAL READER’s VERsiON .......................... 23HOLMAN CHRisTiAN sTANDARD BiBLE .......................... 25DARBY TRANsLATiON ............................... 27YOUNg’s LiTERAL TRANsLATiON .......................... 29AMERiCAN sTANDARD VERsiON .......................... 3121sT CENTURY KiNg JAMEs VERsiON .......................... 33gOD’s wORD TRANsLATiON .......................... 35COMMON ENgLisH BiBLE ............................... 37NEw CENTURY VERsiON .......................... 39NEw KiNg JAMEs VERsiON .......................... 41CONTEMPORARY ENgLisH VERsiON .......................... 43ENgLisH sTANDARD VERsiON .......................... 45KiNg JAMEs VERsiON .......................... 47NEw LiViNg TRANsLATiON ............................... 49THE COTTON PATCH TRANsLATiON .......................... 51THE MEssAgE .......................... 53gOOD NEws TRANsLATiON .......................... 55THiRD MiLLENNiUM BiBLE ............................... 57COMPLETE JEwisH BiBLE .......................... 59douay-rheims .......................... 61wORLD ENgLisH BiBLE .......................... 63wEYMOUTH NEw TEsTAMENT .......................... 65THE wEBsTER BiBLE .......................... 67HEBREw NAMEs VERsiON .......................... 69 BiBLE iN BAsiC ENgLisH .......................... 71REVisED sTANDARD VERsiON .......................... 73iNTERNATiONAL sTANDARD VERsiON .......................... 75

This devotional book is dedicated to faithful and loving servant-leaders. servant leadership has been a popular idea for the past 20 years. so what do we mean when we

speak of servant leadership? servant leadership is that other-cen-tered gift of personal service rendered to communities, compa-nies, institutions, and organizations. in scripture, the foundation of such selfless service is known by the greek term agape. Agapeis translated “love” or “charity” in most English translations of the New Testament. The agape word group occurs in the New Testament 320 times. it is used in the New Testament to describe the self-dispensing, self-sacrificing, self-denying love of god for the human family in texts like John 3:16, Romans 5:8, and 1 John 3:1. The agape word group is also used to describe the selfless relation-ship that believers are to have with others in texts like 1 John 2:10, 1 John 4:7- 11, 20, and 21. Having traveled to many countries in my 33 years of leadership and service, as i pen these words, i submit that servant leadership is not servile leadership. “servile” leadership suggests weak, groveling, and beggarly service. That’s why in some cul-tures i have visited, no respectable person wants to be labeled a “servant.” face, honor, dignity, and a host of other cultural values taint the word “servant” by conflating it with a host of undesir-able social stigmas. But in the Christian community, that social contamination of the term “servant” is exactly the main cultural attitude that scripture challenges. Here is why i say that. The word “servant” occurs in the New Testament over 150 times. The original word translated servant is the ancient greek word “dou-los.” A “doulos” in New Testament times is a “slave.” And just as some cultures despise the word “servant” today, so in ancient times the surrounding culture of the biblical writers despised the word “slave” for many of the same reasons. slaves lost autonomy, respect, dignity, and independence due to war, kidnapping, sale, and a variety of other reasons. But biblical writers like the apostle Paul consciously labeled themselves as “douloi” (slaves) of Jesus Christ and His people in passages like Romans 1:1, 6:22; 1 Corinthi-ans 9:19; 2 Corinthians 4:5; and galatians 1:10. Make no mistake

introduction

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about it, biblical writers were bold in their decision to transform a term of derision into a term that captures the dignity of and calling to selfless service for others. Then there is Jesus Christ, the exemplar of servant-orient-ed love. whereas others may talk and sing about servant leader-ship, Jesus exemplifies it! For instance, on the Thursday evening prior to His passion, Jesus assembled His disciples in a rented little upper chamber of an unnamed house in Jerusalem. There He and his disciples would share a final meal, before he would submit Himself to the agony of gethsemane and the horrors of Calvary. But a problem arose—there was no “doulos” to wash the feet, the dirty, crusty, muddy feet of the disciples. Because this work was our modern equivalent of cleaning the toilets, there were no vol-unteers. Jesus waited for the disciples to move, and the disciples waited for a servant or a volunteer to appear. After many minutes of pained silence, John, the writer of the fourth gospel, records that Jesus “rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded” (John 13:4, 5). Christ’s revolutionary act on that Thursday evening for-ever turned the concept of power leadership on its head. Jesus had already taught the disciples that leadership in His community is not modeled after the very familiar gentile domination of oth-ers. in Mark 10: 42-45, Jesus told His disciples, in response to their request for the highest seat in His kingdom: “You know that those who are considered rulers over the gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. and whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. for even the son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Then, in John 13, at the end of His last class session with His disciples, Jesus does more than tell them what Christian leader-ship should look like. He proceeds to dramatize servant-leadership before their very eyes. He had already disclosed His mission by presenting Himself as one who came “not to be served, but to serve” in Mark 10:45. But on this Thursday evening in the upper room, Jesus re-enacts the great condescension that would be later described by the apostle Paul in Philippians 2:1-5. As Christ divested Himself of His robe in the upper room, He also divested Himself of His glorious divinity in a pre-existing eternity. As He

girded Himself with a towel (a universal instrument of service) in the upper room, He also girded Himself with humanity in prepara-tion for the universal service of redeeming the human family back to god (John 3:16). His servant leadership was prompted by a love commitment that knew no bounds or depths. Christ’s sacrificial service best reflects the love that is described as “agape” love in the New Testament. such love is to be reflected in Christ’s followers and in their dealings with others. for instance, this obligation to love is the central emphasis of the book of 1 John. How do we know? we know because 1 John uses the word “love” more than any other book in the new Testament—23 occurrences! For instance, in the following passage, John connects our ethical behavior (obe-dience) to the love from god that lives within us. He writes in 1 John 2:3-5: “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘i know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of god is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.” further, love for god’s people is a “resurrection” sign in believers that the transfer from death to life has occurred. Notice John’s words in 1 John 3:14: “we know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.” Ellen g. white wrote: “it is impos-sible for finite minds to comprehend the work of redemption. its mystery exceeds human knowledge: yet He who passes from death to life realizes that it is a divine reality” (The Desire of Ages,p. 173). Most important for our devotional study of Christlike leadership and service, agape is the type of love that the apostle Paul used to describe as the greatest gift in the array of gifts given to the church of Christ. Theologian A. C Thistleton wrote that love is the greatest gift because “the ‘greatest’ are not those that min-ister to status or to self, but those which serve the good of others and build the community.” But before Thistleton, Ellen g. white wrote, in her reflections, that 1 Corinthians 13 should be read ev-ery day. Here is what she wrote: “The Lord desires me to call the attention of His people to the thirteenth chapter of first Corinthi-ans. Read this chapter every day, and from it obtain comfort and strength. learn from it the value that god places on sanctified, heaven-born love and let the lesson that it teaches come home to your hearts. Learn that Christ-like love is of heavenly birth, and

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that without it all other qualifications are worthless” (ellen g. white Comments, SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 1091 [italics supplied]). in my personal meditations, i have attempted to read this chapter every day for the past 35 years. i say attempted because generally i have read it, but admittedly there have been times when i haven’t. and while i have not always reflected its teachings as consistently as i would have liked, meditation on 1 Corinthians 13 has transformed my relationships with the people around me. i trust that the power of this meditation will do the same for you. My prayer for you is that the words of the greatest soliloquy on love ever penned will energize you and lead you to find a cause greater than yourself and to give yourself away.

Paul shares his teaching on love because he is assist-ing a congregation to resolve problems that are threatening to destroy its witness and life. A thoughtful reading of the love chapter notes that Paul’s meditation on love is actually introduced in 1 Corinthians 12:29-31. in 1 Corinthians 13, Paul is attempting to establish harmony and collegiality within the rancorous church at Corinth. Maybe that explains why the apostle Paul uses the word agape 10 times in 1 Corinthians 13. Corinth is clearly the most contentious church of all the churches mentioned in the New Testament. Personality cults and factions (chapter 1:11-13), notorious examples of sexual immorality (chapter 5:1-7), adversarial and litigious confron-tations between believers in public courts (chapter 6:1-6), flawed and false teaching regarding marriage (chapter 7:1-5), debates over the eating of meats offered to idols (Chapter 8:4-13), battles over Paul’s call and apostleship (chapter 9:1-18), fights over the lord’s supper and worship (chapter 11:20-34), and disputes over the greater versus lesser spiritual gifts (chapter 12:15-27) have left the congregation divided and fractured. But it is into this bubbling cauldron of church conflict that Paul interjects his most extended treatment of what he considers the greatest of all gifts to the church—the one which, if exercised, would bring the body of Christ into har-mony and unity. “Love,” says Paul, is the greatest gift, and it is

Why shy shy peak of Lof Lof ove anyWay?

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the one that every believer should covet (1 Cor. 12:29-31). And the fact that Paul deposited this teaching into the swirl of Co-rinthian conflict tells us that this teaching on love is not merely theoretical, but immensely practical! Agape in the hearts of believers solves conflicts, heals relationships, initiates peace, seeks the good for others, regulates egotism, and opens up dialogue between former enemies.

Agape love transforms failing marriages, reconciles alienated parents and children, creates high-trust supervisors, and produces loyal employees. in the 1950s and 1960s, my hero, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., revolutionized American soci-ety with a civil-rights movement based on the principle of love! and i could cite a hundred other examples to show that agapē love is practical in its outcomes.

first Corinthians 13 can be easily divided into three sections. section 1 (verses 1-3) establishes that however spec-tacular or sacrificial one’s service, any gift, any sacrifice, or any exploit performed without love, is valueless. section 2 (verses 4-7) proceeds to lay out the specific attitudes and actions of love in concrete applications. Paul uses these verses to concretely identify what love does (how love acts) and what love does not do (or how does love not act). section 3 (verses 8-13) reasserts the superiority of love to other important gifts like faith and hope. And while the needs for faith and hope are vital and needed, Paul takes special pains to stress that love is separated from these gifts by one essential character-istic—love is permanent and other gifts are transitory. faith and hope will pass away, while love alone will continue past life as we know it. As theologians say, love has eschatological permanence. Here, in an unusual twist, Paul connects love to the afterlife and the coming age. This connection represents a unique perspective on love found nowhere else in the litera-ture of the ancient world!

WhatWhatW dhat dhat oes Love Move Move ean for Lfor Lfor eadership Leadership L and service? in an interesting book called Love Leadership, au-thor John hope Bryant outlines what he calls the five laws of love-based leadership. He argues in his laws that “Loss

a cLoser LLoser LLoser ook at 1 corinthians 13

Creates leaders” (which means that suffering is the path to strength), that “fear fails” (which means that respect and love are foundational to real success), that “Love Makes Money” (which means that love is the basis of true wealth), that “Vulnerability is Power” (which means that the law of reciprocity is always operating�reciprocity is always operating�reciprocity is always operating open up to others and they will open up to you), and that “giving is getting” (the more you offer to others, the more they will give back to you). long before John Bryant reflected on love-based leadership, the spiritual community of Christians saw in Jesus Christ a personal example of love leadership. Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of love-based leadership. As a servant, He condescended from heaven to serve the needs of human-ity (Philippians 2:1-5). As a servant, He washed His disciples’ feet (John 13:1-17). As a servant, He performed miracles to relieve suffering (mark 8-10). and finally, as a servant, he gave His life to redeem the world back to god (Mark 10:45). He said to His disciples, “greater love hath no man than this, that he would lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). But what is the significance of such love for us? First, love, as represented in the life and leadership of Jesus, repre-sents the “in-breaking” of a new age into the old one. Jesus, the personification of kingdom love, creates a new age in which His community is a transformed and transformational body (see Matthew 1:14, John 1:18, Hebrews 1:1). The life of heaven is stamped on god’s people in the restoration of agape love as a new principle of life, leadership, and service. This is the “new commandment” that Jesus places before His disciples (John 13:34). This new “love” is so glaring a feature of the believing community that Christ promises and predicts that this community would be distinguished in the eyes of unbelievers because “of the love you have one for another” (John 13:35). second, possessors of agape love represent that unique restoration of the image of god in the human person-ality and the believing community. genesis 1:27 establishes for believers that god himself made humankind “in the image of god.” The word translated “image” (Hebrew, tselem) is used to convey the idea of the “shadow” or “reflection” of god. while theologians have argued about what constitutes “the image of god,” textual clues in genesis 1-3 suggest that (1) the “image of god” is that quality of human existence

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that differentiates it from the rest of creational life, since the phrase is only applied to the creation of human beings; (2) those features of humanity that give humans their unique similarity to and relationship with god; and (3) those particu-lar endowments, such as conceptive and discursive rational-ity (genesis 2:19, 20), individual and communal relationality (genesis 2:23, 24; 5:2), moral and ethical agency (genesis 3:14), vocational responsibility (genesis 2:15), and aesthetic sensitivity (genesis 2:9). This means that the image of god imparted to our original parents represents a power akin to their Creator—the power to think and to do. And this power was rooted in self-forgetful service to god and each other. we were created for the selfless worship of god (the first table of the decalogue), but we were also created for selfless service to each other (the second table of the Decalogue). Additionally, a remarkable insight into the nature of god is provided by the apostle who talks about love more than any other writer of the New Testament. first John 4:7, 8: “Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from god, and everyone who loves has been fathered by god and knows god. The person who does not love does not know god, because god is love” (The NET Bible Translation). John asserts that the person who does not love cannot “know god” because god is love (1 John 4:8). Based on 1 John 4:8, god’s essential characteristic is agape. Prior to the fall, the attributes of human beings creat-ed in the “image of god” were grounded in the agapaic nature of god. at Creation, each of our endowments were reflec-tions of the other-centered nature of god. Man and woman at Creation were other-centered, ministry-focused, and selflessly-service oriented toward god and others. in other words, the “image of god” made Adam and Eve extensions of the agapaic nature of god. The selfless unity in community (“let us . . .”) that defined the inner workings of the Trinity were replicated in our first parents. That selfless agapaic unity in community was to be continued and expressed in the marital unity of Adam and eve, described in genesis 2:24—“The two shall be one flesh.” Agape love, other-interested, other-centered, other-oriented love, is what made Adam and Eve godlike. And it is what makes us godlike today! Third, after the fall, conversion, or being “born of

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god” (salvation from sin), reflects our restoration into the agapa-ic image of god. in an amazing insight, John declares in 1 John 4:7: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of god; and everyone who loves is born of god and knows god.” The idea of “born of god” can be best explained by its use in the gospel of John. John 1:12, 13 explains that we become children of god, not by our natural birth, but by being “born of god.” And in John 3, Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be born “from above.” This is equivalent to being “born of the spirit.” Being born of god stands in contrast to being born by biological procreation. The new birth is produced by god through His spirit. And that birth implants a new principle in the soul. Ellen g. white writes the following concerning the new birth experience: “when the spirit of god takes possession of the heart, it transforms the life. . . . The blessing comes when by faith the soul surrenders itself to god. Then that power which no human eye can see creates a new being in the image of god” (The Desire of Ages, p. 173).

when we apply love to leadership we must conclude that leadership and service, however celebrated, rewarded, or applauded, if done without love is profitless. This is Paul’s mes-sage to the church and to us. He writes in 1 Corinthians 13:2-4 in the Contemporary English Version: “what if i could prophesy and understand all secrets and all knowledge? And what if i had faith that moved mountains? i would be nothing, unless i loved others. what if i gave away all that i owned and let myself be burned alive? i would gain nothing, unless i loved others.” Paul’s insistence is clear: if our service and leadership is motivated by love, our interaction with others will be transfor-mational for us and the people we serve. such followers will be elevated, challenged, inspired, and motivated by our leader-ship. Our reports will trust our mission focus. Our colleagues will want to be like us. Our supervisors will tell others what a privilege it is to work with us. Our neighbors will speak of us to their friends. And the organizations that we lead will reap both measurable and intangible benefits. But far more important than these organizational ben-efits, your spiritual communion and fellowship with god will be deepened in immeasurable ways. To know the love of god so

appLying Love to Leadership and service

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deeply, on a daily basis, is to be transformed in attitude, outlook, character, and practice. what the aged apostle John said to the believing community many centuries ago in his own unforgetta-ble words still resonates with us today�ble words still resonates with us today�ble words still resonates with us today “He who does not love, does not know god, for god is love” (1 John 4:8). To “know” god is to experience god intimately and personally! our clos-est human approximation to such knowing of god can only be described in sexual terms—“Adam knew Eve, his wife and she conceived” (genesis 4:1). The Hebrew word “yada” as used in genesis 4:1 implies an intimate knowledge born of sexual union. John translates that word into the greek “ginosko,” which car-ries the same experiential impact. To know god is to reflect god’s agapaic nature in our interaction with those around us. Theologians simon Kistemaker and william Hendrikson wrote, concerning 1 John 4:7, 8, that “the person who is born of god (2:29; 3:9; 5:1) is a window through which the love of god shines into the world.” in following Ellen g. white’s counsel to read the love chapter every day, i am encouraging you to make 1 Corinthians 13 a part of your daily personal worship for the next 12 months. i guarantee you that your encounter with this lofty passage on a daily basis will transform your attitudes, outlook, and relation-ships. first Corinthians 13 will take you to realms in god’s spirit that you have never imagined. That’s because god’s powerful word always accomplishes transformation when it is received with humility and faith (see isaiah 55:11 and John 6:63).

This devotional book provides a different translation of 1 Corinthians 13 for each of the days of the month. Variety in translation of the passage will not only keep the reading inter-esting and fresh, but will also bring out different nuances of meaning and application. Paired with each version of the passage is also an ap-plication exercise for that day’s meditation. This application is intended to assist you in recording and retaining memo-ries of the love breakthroughs granted to you in day-to-day relationships�like family, workplace, church, and school rela-tionships. finally, the title of this small book is a word play. first, “Loving Leadership” reminds us of the type of leadership that we are called to provide. Thus, the word “loving” functions as a

about the book

verb (called a gerund) that describes a leadership that is ground-ed in love�not fear, not manipulation, not control, not domi-nance, but in love for others. such leadership is what this book on “Loving Leadership” calls each of us to provide in our service and careers. On the other hand, “Loving Leadership” reminds us of our relationship to the leadership that we are called to provide. Thus the word “loving” functions as a verb (actually, a gerund) that points us to persons who love the gift, the act, the process, and the dynamics of leadership. These persons love to lead, and lead in love!

“God, may this devotional create a generation of lead-ers who find their highest calling in the servant leadership seen in Jesus Christ and in generations of women and men dedicated to Him. Please make us leaders in our communities, churches, orga-nizations, institutions, who combine profound competence with self-sacrificial love. And may this combination of Christlike love and professional competence transform us and inspire our followers to accomplish Your mission in their lives. May our homes, marriages, schools, and workplaces be transformed by our radical commit-ment to living lives of love."

Leslie N. Pollard, Ph.D., D.Min., M.B.A.President, Oakwood UniversityHuntsville, Alabama 35896email: presidentsoffice@oakwood.edu

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a prayer

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poLLard’s transLation

Below is my personal “dynamic” translation of 1 Cor-inthians 13 from the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament, 27th edition. By “dynamic” I mean that the following translation accounts for the language of the Greek text, while reflecting the nuances and implications implied in the language. Such a dynamic translation is intended to provide you the reader with a fuller sense of the passage.

1 Corinthian 13:1: “if i were able to speak in the varied and global languages of the international human family, or if i could speak even the languages of heavenly angels, but am bankrupt of god’s gift of unselfish love, i am only making the empty noise of acoustical resonance—like the hollow brass jars carefully placed in greek theatrical productions used to amplify stage sounds. Or i will sound like the echoing of a crashing cymbal. (2) if i have been given the gift of prophecy (that is, the ability to speak authoritatively on god’s behalf), and if i have insight into and can apprehend all the deep mys-teries that pertain to god, and if i am a master of the deep knowledge of god’s will, god’s way, and god’s word, and if i am the possessor of a spectacular mountain-moving faith in god’s power, but am empty of love, i am a zero in god’s eyes! (3) indeed, if i distribute all of my personal posses-sions—homes, clothes, property—to the poor of our com-munity, and even if i hand myself over for the ultimate act of heroism—allowing my body to be consumed in the fires of sacrificial martyrdom—but if i am not filled with heaven-born love, i do not gain anything by that heroic act!

Commentary: As Paul prepares to make his case for love as the highest gift, we just heard from Paul in verses 1-3 an escala-tion, a crescendo, in the values held by the Corinthian believers. Paul moves from the empty noise of a gong and cymbal (and please notice that neither of these are melodic instruments, but are here used for melodic punctuation in a musical score),

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to the content of what the Corinthians would have truly valued (prophecy, knowledge, and even miracle-producing faith) to the final and ultimate and apparently, incontrovertible sacrifice of martyrdom. Paul uses this escalation to heighten the final sum-mary conclusion of verse 3—that everything done without love, on the scale of kingdom values, gains us nothing!

(4) Love does not act impulsively or impatiently [but has a very long fuse]. Love acts kindly [toward others]. Love does not boast [and is not full of itself] . love is not aflame with envy [over what gifts, possessions, status, or endowments others might have]. love does not brag [or boast]. love is not puffed up, nor does it project itself forward in a bid for attention. (5) Love does not behave in distasteful [indelicate, discourteous, or improper] ways; love does not seek solely for interests pertain-ing to “the self.” Love does not get angry very easily. Love is not easily exasperated [when others fail or falter]. Love does not store up past offenses [for the purpose of future retalia-tion]. (6) Love takes no pleasure in a believer’s wrongdoing, but celebrates the truth [the positive truth about people of whom reports of evil surface]. it covers all things [the term comes from the greek word “stego”—to cover, to roof], it trusts all things, it hopes for all things, it endures all things.

Commentary: Paul now proceeds in verses 4-7 to the natural second section of his ode to love. He delineates a number of practical at-titudes, applications, and activities of genuine love. In a congregational setting where great tensions existed, Paul speaks about the need to love those believers with whom the Corinthians were challenged. With all the loud and aggressive self-assertion, Paul calls believers to live on a higher plane—to avoid impatience, severity, counter-boasting. Paul also asks that there be no envy, especially toward those who have been endowed with miraculous gifts. He calls the community to patience, forgiveness, good will, and trust. These qualities are the outworkings of agape and represent the salve for the ailments that afflict the Corinthian church. It is a call to other-centered engagement with the active pursuit of the good for others. Verses 4-7 are a call to compassion, versus self-centered action.

Verse 8 “Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will end. where there are languages, they will be stilled. where there is knowledge, it will pass away. (9) Because we know par-

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tially and our prophesying is partial, (10) when the complete thing comes, the partial will pass away. (11) when i was a small child, i talked like a child, i reasoned like a child. But when i became an adult, i put away all the things associated with childhood. (12) for now we see faintly our reflection in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now i know partially, but then i will know, even as i am completely known. (13) But for now, faith, hope and love continue. But the greatest of these by far is love!

Commentary: In this final paragraph, the apostle begins to now dismiss and dismantle all the activities so highly valued by the Cor-inthians—prophecy, languages, knowledge. These activities are presented as incomplete, partial, and transitory. In fact, Paul al-most calls the Corinthian fascination with the spectacular displays infantile. He uses the Greek word that points to a “small” child, as in a toddler! But he quickly proceeds to take the reader into the afterlife and to assert that love is the one thing that will continue after the eschaton—the end of all things as we know them. Faith will no longer be needed, but faith will meet the reality of its be-lief. Hope will disappear, because hope will be consummated. But there will always be a need for love—other-centered love for God, and selfless love for each other. This insistence by Paul is one of the surest evidences that the law of God, expressed in the Deca-logue, will continue in perpetuity. Love is the foundation of God’s government. And love is as enduring as God is, for God is love!

1 CorinThians 13 (neW inTernaTional Version, ©2010)

1 if i speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, i am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 if i have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowl-edge, and if i have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, i am nothing. 3 if i give all i possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that i may boast,[b] but do not have love, i gain nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind. it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 it does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 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. 9 for we know in part and we proph-esy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part dis-appears. 11 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. 12 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. 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

LovingLeadership

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Love aove aove ppLication appLication a and practice eractice eractice xercise exercise e :

According to Philippians 1:9, Paul prayed the following prayer for the believers: “And this i pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment.” identify what knowledge you might need to strengthen your love for your family members.

1 CorinThians 13 (neW ameriCan sTandard BiBle)

The Excellence of Love 1if i speak with the (A)tongues of men and of (B)angels, but do not have love, i have become a noisy gong or a (C)clanging cymbal. 2if i have the gift of (D)prophecy, and know all (E)mysteries and all (f)knowledge; and if i have (g)all faith, so as to (H)remove mountains, but do not have love, i am nothing. 3And if i (i)give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if i (J)sur-render my body [a]to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. 4Love (K)is patient, love is kind and (L)is not jealous; love does not brag and is not (M)arrogant, 5does not act unbecomingly; it (N)does not seek its own, is not pro-voked, (o)does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6(P)does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but (Q)rejoices with the truth; 7(R)bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8Love never fails; but if there are gifts of (s)prophecy, they will be done away; if there are (T)tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 9for we (U)know in part and we prophesy in part; 10but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 11when i was a child, i used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when i became a man, i did away with childish things. 12for now we (V)see in a mirror dimly, but then (w)face to face; now i know in part, but then i will know fully just as i also (X)have been fully known. 13But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is (Y)love.

Day 2

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Jesus commanded his followers in Matthew 5: 43-45, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But i say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your father in heaven.” identify a proven enemy and write down how you will love him/her as Jesus commanded.

1 Corinthians 13 (worldwide English [New Testament])

1if i talk with the tongues of men and even of angels, but if i do not love people, then i am only like the sound of a big horn or a loud bell. 2if i speak words from god, if i can understand all secrets, and know everything, if i can move mountains by believing, but if i do not love people, i am nothing, even though i can do all of these things. 3if i give away all i have, and if i give my body to be burned, but if i do not love people, i get nothing out of it. 4Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous. Love is not proud and does not boast. 5Love does not do things that are not nice. Love does not just think of itself. Love does not get angry. Love holds no wrong feel-ings in the heart. 6Love is not glad when people do wrong things. But it is always glad when they do right. 7Love forgives everything. Love is always trusting, and always hoping, and never gives up. 8Love never ends. The gift of speaking words from god will end. The gift of speaking in different tongues or languages will stop. The gift of knowing many things will end. 9Now we know only a little, and we can speak only a little of god’s words. 10But when everything becomes perfect, that PART wiLL come to an end. 11when i was a child, i talked like a child. i understood like a child. i thought like a child. But when i became a man, i stopped doing things like a child. 12Now it is like looking in a looking-glass which does not make things clear. we cannot see and understand things plainly. But when things become perfect, then we shall fully know and under-stand everything, just as god knows. 13These three things will remain for ever. They are faith, hope, and love. And love is the greatest of them.

Day 3

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in genesis 37:3, 4, we read the following: “Now israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.” Can you remember a time when you showed partiality and preference in your love for someone? Write down one thing today that you will do differently when chal-lenged to show preference in your treatment of people.

1 CorinThians 13 (WyCliFFe neW TesTamenT)

1 if i speak with tongues of men and of angels, and i have not charity, i am made as brass sounding, or a cymbal tinkling. 2 And if i have prophecy, and know all mysteries, and all know-ing [and all knowing, or science], and if i have all faith, so that i move hills from their place [so that i bear over hills from one place to another], and i have not charity, i am nought. 3 And if i part all my goods into the meats of poor men, and if i betake my body, so that i burn, and if i have not charity, it prof-iteth to me nothing. 4 Charity is patient, it is benign; charity envieth not, it doeth not wickedly, it is not blown [it is not in-blown with pride], 5 it is not covetous [of worships], it seeketh not those things that be his own [it seeketh not those things that be her own], it is not stirred to wrath, it thinketh not evil, 6 it joyeth not on wickedness, but it joyeth together to truth; [it joyeth not in wickedness, forsooth it joyeth together with truth;] 7 it suffereth all things, it believeth all things, it hopeth all things, it sustaineth all things. 8 Charity falleth never down, whether prophecies shall be void-ed, either languages shall cease, either science shall be destroyed [whether prophecies shall be voided, or languages shall cease, or science shall be destroyed]. 9 for a part we know, and a part we prophesy; [for of part we know, and of part we prophesy;] 10 but when that shall come that is perfect, that thing that is of part shall be voided. 11 when i was a little child, i spake as a little child, i understood as a little child, i thought as a little child; but when i was made a man, i voided those things that were of a little child. 12 And we see now [forsooth we see now] by a mirror in dark-ness, but then face to face; now i know of part, but then i shall know, as [and] i am known. 13 And now dwelleth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the most of these is charity. Wycliffe new Testament (WyC) 2001 by Terrence P. noble.

Day 4

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Deuteronomy 6:4, 5 contains the following command: “hear, o israel: The lord our god, the lord is one! you shall love the LORD your god with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” write below one way that you will demonstrate total love for god in your life today.

1 CorinThians 13 (neW inTernaTional reader’s Version)

1 suppose i speak in the languages of human beings and of angels. if i don’t have love, i am only a loud gong or a noisy cymbal. 2 suppose i have the gift of prophecy. suppose i can understand all the secret things of god and know everything about him. And sup-pose i have enough faith to move mountains. if i don’t have love, i am nothing at all. 3 suppose i give everything i have to poor people. And suppose i give my body to be burned. if i don’t have love, i get nothing at all. 4 Love is patient. Love is kind. it does not want what belongs to others. it does not brag. it is not proud. 5 it is not rude. it does not look out for its own interests. it does not easily become angry. it does not keep track of other people’s wrongs. 6 Love is not happy with evil. But it is full of joy when the truth is spoken. 7 it always protects. it always trusts. it always hopes. it never gives up. 8 Love never fails. But prophecy will pass away. speaking in lan-guages that had not been known before will end. And knowledge will pass away. 9 what we know now is not complete. what we prophesy now is not perfect. 10 But when what is perfect comes, the things that are not perfect will pass away. 11 when i was a child, i talked like a child. i thought like a child. i had the understanding of a child. when i became a man, i put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see only a dim likeness of things. it is as if we were seeing them in a mirror. But someday we will see clearly. we will see face to face. what i know now is not complete. But someday i will know completely, just as god knows me completely. 13 The three most important things to have are faith, hope and love. But the greatest of them is love.

Day 5

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Deuteronomy 7:7, 8 records the following words of Mo-ses to the children of israel: “The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” write below one habit or practice that you are trying to overcome that reminds you that you do not qualify for god’s love.

1 CorinThians 13 (holman ChrisTian sTandard BiBle)

Love: The superior way 1 if i speak the languages of men and of angels, but do not have love, (A) i am a sounding gong (B) or a clanging cymbal. 2 if i have [the gift of] prophecy, (C) and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if i have all faith, so that i can move mountains, (D) but do not have love, i am nothing. 3 And if i donate all my goods to feed the poor, and if i give my body to be burned, [a] but do not have love, i gain nothing. 4 Love is patient; (E) love is kind. Love does not envy; (f) is not boastful; is not conceited; (g) 5 does not act improperly; is not selfish; (h) is not provoked; (i) does not keep a record of wrongs; 6 finds no joy in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth; (J) 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures (K) all things. 8 Love never ends. (L) But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for languages, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. 9 for we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10 But when the perfect comes, the partial will come to an end. 11 when i was a child, i spoke like a child, i thought like a child, i reasoned like a child. when i became a man, i put aside childish things. 12 for now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. (M) Now i know in part, but then i will know fully, (N) as i am fully known. (O) 13 Now these three remain: faith, hope, (P) and love. But the greatest of these is love.

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Deuteronomy 23:5 records a most interesting occurrence: “Nevertheless the LORD your god would not listen to Balaam, but the LORD your god turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your god loves you.” Can you recall and write below an incident in your life in which god clearly “turned a curse into a bless-ing” in your life?

1 CorinThians 13 (darBy TranslaTion)

1if i speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, i am become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2And if i have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowl-edge, and if i have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, i am nothing. 3And if i shall dole out all my goods in food, and if i deliver up my body that i may be burned, but have not love, i profit nothing. 4Love has long patience, is kind; love is not emulous [of others]; love is not insolent and rash, is not puffed up, 5does not behave in an unseemly manner, does not seek what is its own, is not quickly provoked, does not impute evil, 6does not rejoice at iniquity but rejoices with the truth, 7bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8Love never fails; but whether prophecies, they shall be done away; or tongues, they shall cease; or knowledge, it shall be done away. 9for we know in part, and we prophesy in part: 10but when that which is perfect has come, that which is in part shall be done away. 11when i was a child, i spoke as a child, i felt as a child, i reasoned as a child; when i became a man, i had done with what belonged to the child. 12for we see now through a dim window obscurely, but then face to face; now i know partially, but then i shall know according as i also have been known. 13And now abide faith, hope, love; these three things; and the greater of these [is] love.

Day 7

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Judges 16:4 recalls samson’s weakness: “Afterward it hap-pened that he loved a woman in the Valley of sorek, whose name was Delilah.” write down in one sentence how samson’s “love” in Judges 16 did not fulfill the love requirements of 1 Corinthians 13.

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1 CorinThians 13 (young’s liTeral TranslaTion)

1if with the tongues of men and of messengers i speak, and have not love, i have become brass sounding, or a cymbal tinkling; 2and if i have prophecy, and know all the secrets, and all the knowledge, and if i have all the faith, so as to remove mountains, and have not love, i am nothing; 3and if i give away to feed others all my goods, and if i give up my body that i may be burned, and have not love, i am profited nothing. 4The love is long-suffering, it is kind, the love doth not envy, the love doth not vaunt itself, is not puffed up, 5doth not act unseemly, doth not seek its own things, is not pro-voked, doth not impute evil, 6rejoiceth not over the unrighteousness, and rejoiceth with the truth; 7all things it beareth, all it believeth, all it hopeth, all it endureth. 8The love doth never fail; and whether [there be] prophecies, they shall become useless; whether tongues, they shall cease; whether knowledge, it shall become useless; 9for in part we know, and in part we prophecy; 10and when that which is perfect may come, then that which [is] in part shall become useless. 11when i was a babe, as a babe i was speaking, as a babe i was thinking, as a babe i was reasoning, and when i have become a man, i have made useless the things of the babe; 12for we see now through a mirror obscurely, and then face to face; now i know in part, and then i shall fully know, as also i was known; 13and now there doth remain faith, hope, love -- these three; and the greatest of these [is] love.

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1 samuel 18:3, 4 describes the love that two friends had for each other: “Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. and Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt.” who is the David that you are close to? Decide how you will communicate to him/her how much you love him or her today.

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1 CorinThians 13 (ameriCan sTandard Version)

1 if i speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, i am become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if i have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if i have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, i am nothing. 3 And if i bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and if i give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profiteth me nothing. 4 love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not provoked, taketh not account of evil; 6 rejoiceth not in unrighteousness, but rejoiceth with the truth; 7 beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, en-dureth all things. 8 Love never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall be done away; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall be done away. 9 for we know in part, and we prophesy in part; 10 but when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away. 11 when i was a child, i spake as a child, i felt as a child, i thought as a child: now that i am become a man, i have put away childish things. 12 for now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then face to face: now i know in part; but then shall i know fully even as also i was fully known. 13 But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; and the great-est of these is love.

Day 9

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1 Kings 3:3 records an apparent instance of conflicted love: “And solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father david, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places.” identify a place in your life where your love for god is conflicted and what you will do to re-align your love with what you know to be right.

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1 CorinThians 13 (21sT CenTury King James Version)

Though i speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not charity, i am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. 2And though i have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though i have all faith so that i could remove mountains, but have not charity, i am nothing. 3And though i bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though i give my body to be burned, but have not charity, it prof-iteth me nothing. 4Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up; 5doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, en-dureth all things. 8Charity never faileth. But whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9for we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 11when i was a child, i spoke as a child, i understood as a child, i thought as a child; but when i became a man, i put away childish things. 12for now we see through a glass, darkly, but then face to face. Now i know in part; but then shall i know, even as also i am known. 13And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. 21st Century King James Version (KJ21) Copyright © 1994 by Deuel Enterprises, inc.

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1 Kings 11:1-3 records another instance of conflicted “love”: “But King solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, sidonians, and Hittites—from the nations of whom the LORD had said to the children of israel, ‘You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.’ solomon clung to these in love.” identify one of your fondly held “foreign” things that if not released, will compro-mise your love for god.

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1 CorinThians 13 (god’s Word TranslaTion)

1i may speak in the languages of humans and of angels. But if i don’t have love, i am a loud gong or a clashing cymbal. 2i may have the gift to speak what god has revealed, and i may understand all mysteries and have all knowledge. i may even have enough faith to move mountains. But if i don’t have love, i am nothing. 3i may even give away all that i have and give up my body to be burned.[a] But if i don’t have love, none of these things will help me. 4Love is patient. Love is kind. Love isn’t jealous. it doesn’t sing its own praises. it isn’t arrogant. 5it isn’t rude. it doesn’t think about itself. it isn’t irritable. it doesn’t keep track of wrongs. 6it isn’t happy when injustice is done, but it is happy with the truth. 7Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hop-ing, never gives up. 8Love never comes to an end. There is the gift of speaking what god has revealed, but it will no longer be used. There is the gift of speaking in other languages, but it will stop by itself. There is the gift of knowledge, but it will no longer be used. 9Our knowledge is incomplete and our ability to speak what god has revealed is incomplete. 10But when what is complete comes, then what is incomplete will no longer be used. 11when i was a child, i spoke like a child, thought like a child, and reasoned like a child. when i became an adult, i no longer used childish ways. 12Now we see a blurred image in a mirror. Then we will see very clearly. Now my knowledge is incomplete. Then i will have complete knowledge as god has complete knowledge of me. 13so these three things remain: faith, hope, and love. But the best one of these is love.

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in Job 19:19, a suffering Job declared that “all my close friends abhor me, and those whom i love have turned against me.” identify one way you can apply 1 Corinthians 13 to friends who have disappointed you.

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1 CorinThians 13 (Common english BiBle)

Love: the universal spiritual gift

1 if i speak in tongues of human beings and of angels but i don’t have love, i’m a clanging gong or a clashing cymbal. 2 if i have the gift of prophecy and i know all the mysteries and everything else, and if i have such complete faith that i can move mountains but i don’t have love, i’m nothing. 3 if i give away everything that i have and hand over my own body to feel good about what i’ve done but i don’t have love, i receive no benefit whatsoever. 4 Love is patient, love is kind, it isn’t jealous, it doesn’t brag, it isn’t arrogant, 5 it isn’t rude, it doesn’t seek its own advantage, it isn’t irritable, it doesn’t keep a record of complaints, 6 it isn’t happy with injustice, but it is happy with the truth. 7 Love puts up with all things, trusts in all things, hopes for all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails. As for prophecies, they will be brought to an end. As for tongues, they will stop. As for knowledge, it will be brought to an end. 9 for we know in part and we prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, what is partial will be brought to an end. 11 when i was a child, i used to speak like a child, reason like a child, think like a child. But now that i have become a man, i’ve put an end to childish things. 12 Now we see a reflection in a mirror; then we will see face-to-face. now i know partially, but then i will know completely in the same way that i have been completely known. 13 Now faith, hope, and love re-main—these three things—and the greatest of these is love. Common English Bible (CEB)

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Jesus declared in Matthew 10:37 that “he who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” List one way in which the unreserved love expected by Jesus can be demonstrated today.

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1 CorinThians 13 (neW CenTury Version)

1 i may speak in different languages[a] of people or even an-gels. But if i do not have love, i am only a noisy bell or a crashing cymbal. 2 i may have the gift of prophecy. i may understand all the secret things of god and have all knowledge, and i may have faith so great i can move mountains. But even with all these things, if i do not have love, then i am nothing. 3 i may give away everything i have, and i may even give my body as an offering to be burned.[b] But i gain nothing if i do not have love. 4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud.5 love is not rude, is not selfish, and does not get upset with others. Love does not count up wrongs that have been done. 6 Love takes no pleasure in evil but rejoices over the truth. 7 Love patiently accepts all things. it always trusts, always hopes, and always endures. 8 Love never ends. There are gifts of prophecy, but they will be ended. There are gifts of speaking in different languages, but those gifts will stop. There is the gift of knowledge, but it will come to an end.9 The reason is that our knowledge and our ability to prophesy are not perfect.10 But when perfection comes, the things that are not perfect will end.11 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 stopped those childish ways.12 it is the same with us. now we see a dim reflection, as if we were looking into a mir-ror, but then we shall see clearly. Now i know only a part, but then i will know fully, as god has known me.13 so these three things continue forever: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.

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The aged apostle John wrote to the church at Ephesus in 1 John 4:7, 8: “Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from god, and everyone who loves has been fathered by god and knows god. The person who does not love does not know god, because god is love” (the NET Bible Translation). Describe one way in which you can love two people in your workplace today.

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1 CorinThians 13 (neW King James Version)

The greatest gift

1 Though i speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, i have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though i have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though i have all faith, so that i could remove mountains, but have not love, i am nothing. 3 And though i bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though i give my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, it profits me nothing.4 love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 for we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. 11 when i was a child, i spoke as a child, i understood as a child, i thought as a child; but when i became a man, i put away childish things. 12 for now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now i know in part, but then i shall know just as i also am known. 13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Day 14

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LovingLeadership

Jesus told Nicodemus one night that “god so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). what gift can you give to god in gratitude for His gift of His son Jesus Christ?

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1 CorinThians 13 (ConTemPorary english Version)

Love 1what if i could speak all languages of humans and of angels? if i did not love others, i would be nothing more than a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2what if i could prophesy and understand all secrets and all knowledge? And what if i had faith that moved mountains? i would be nothing, unless i loved others. 3what if i gave away all that i owned and let myself be burned alive? [a] i would gain nothing, unless i loved others. 4Love is kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud, or 5rude. love isn’t selfish or quick tempered. it doesn’t keep a record of wrongs that others do. 6Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil. 7Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting. 8love never fails! Everyone who prophesies will stop, and unknown languages will no longer be spoken. All that we know will be forgotten. 9we don’t know everything, and our prophecies are not complete. 10But what is perfect will someday appear, and what isn’t perfect will then disappear. 11when we were children, we thought and reasoned as children do. But when we grew up, we quit our childish ways. 12Now all we can see of god is like a cloudy picture in a mirror. Later we will see him face to face. we don’t know everything, but then we will, just as god completely understands us. 13for now there are faith, hope, and love. But of these three, the greatest is love. Contemporary English Version (CEV) Copyright © 1995 by Ameri-can Bible society

Day 15

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LovingLeadership

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Luke 16:13 records these words of Jesus: “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve god and mammon.” what do you love that is not worthy of your affection?

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1 CorinThians 13 (english sTandard Version)

1if i speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, i am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2And if i have(A) prophet-ic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if i have all faith,(B) so as to remove mountains, but have not love, i am nothing. 3(C) if i give away all i have, and(D) if i deliver up my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, i gain nothing. 4(E) Love is patient and(f) kind; love(g) does not envy or boast; it(H) is not arrogant 5or rude. it(i) does not insist on its own way; it(J) is not irritable or resentful;[b] 6it(K) does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but(L) rejoices with the truth. 7(M) Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,(N) endures all things. 8Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9for(O) we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but(P) when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11when i was a child, i spoke like a child, i thought like a child, i reasoned like a child. when i became a man, i gave up childish ways. 12for(Q) now we see in a mirror dimly, but(R) then face to face. Now i know in part; then i shall know fully, even as(s) i have been fully known. 13so now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the great-est of these is love.

Day 16

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LovingLeadership

Loving confrontation motivates Jesus to challenge a young rich man in Mark 10:21-22: “Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘One thing you lack: go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.’ But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” what “great possession” is standing between you and god’s com-plete plan for your life?

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1 CorinThians 13 (King James Version)

1Though i speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, i am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2And though i have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though i have all faith, so that i could remove mountains, and have not charity, i am nothing. 3And though i bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though i give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 4Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, en-dureth all things. 8Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9for we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 11when i was a child, i spake as a child, i understood as a child, i thought as a child: but when i became a man, i put away childish things. 12for now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now i know in part; but then shall i know even as also i am known. 13And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Day 17

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LovingLeadership

Jesus, in Matthew 24:11, 12, predicts that one of the signs of the end-time will be a lack of love: “Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” List one example in recent headlines of love that has grown cold.

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1 CorinThians 13 (neW liVing TranslaTion)

Love is the greatest

1 if i could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, i would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cym-bal. 2 if i had the gift of prophecy, and if i understood all of god’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if i had such faith that i could move mountains, but didn’t love others, i would be nothing. 3 if i gave everything i have to the poor and even sacri-ficed my body, i could boast about it;[a] but if i didn’t love others, i would have gained nothing. 4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. it does not demand its own way. it is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 it does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages[b] and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! 9 now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! 10 But when full understanding comes, these partial things will become useless. 11 when i was a child, i spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when i grew up, i put away childish things. 12 Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.[c] All that i know now is partial and incomplete, but then i will know everything completely, just as god now knows me completely. 13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

Day 18

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LovingLeadership

Jesus asks His followers a penetrating question in Luke 6:32: “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? for even sinners love those who love them.” Name a person who is difficult for you to love. What can you do today to get past your resistance toward loving someone hard to love?

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1 CorinThians 13 (The CoTTon PaTCh TranslaTion)

“Though i speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have no love, i am a hollow-sounding horn or a nerve-wracking rattle. And though i have the ability to preach, and know all the secrets and all the slogans, and though i have sufficient faith to move a mountain, but have no love, i am nothing. Even though i renounce all my possessions, and give my body as a flaming sacrifice, but have no love, i accomplish exactly nothing. love is long-suffering and kind. Love is not envious, nor does it strut and brag. it does not act up, nor try to get things for itself. it pitches no tantrums, keeps no books on insults or injuries, sees no fun in wickedness, but rejoices when truth prevails. Love is all-embracing, all-trusting, all-hoping, all-enduring. Love never quits. As for sermons, they shall be silenced; as for oratory, it shall cease; as for knowledge, it will vanish. for our knowledge is immature, and our preaching is immature; but when that which is mature arrives, it supersedes the immature. for example, when 1 was a child, i was talking like a child, thinking like a child, acting like a child, but when i became an adult, i outgrew my childish ways. so, on the childish level [i.e., without love] we look at one another in a trick mirror, but on the adult level [i.e., with love] we see face to face; as a child [i.e., with-out love] i understand immaturely, but as an adult [i.e., with love] i’ll understand just as i’ll be understood. Now these three things endure: faith, hope and love; but the greatest of all is love. seek diligently for love.”Copyright Koinonia Partners.

Day 19

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LovingLeadership

Luke 6:47 contains a life lesson from Jesus Therefore i say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” what can you do today that conveys your abundant and generous love for god?

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1 CorinThians 13 (The message)

The way of Love 1 if i speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, i’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. 2if i speak god’s word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if i have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but i don’t love, i’m nothing. 3-7if i give everything i own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but i don’t love, i’ve gotten nowhere. so, no matter what i say, what i believe, and what i do, i’m bankrupt without love. Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, Doesn’t have a swelled head, Doesn’t force itself on others, isn’t always “me first,” doesn’t fly off the handle, Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, Doesn’t revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts god always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end. 8-10Love never dies. inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. we know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about god is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incom-pletes will be canceled. 11when i was an infant at my mother’s breast, i gurgled and cooed like any infant. when i grew up, i left those infant ways for good. 12we don’t yet see things clearly. we’re squinting in a fog, peer-ing through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as god sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us! 13But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in god, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

Day 20

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LovingLeadership

John 13:34 says: “A new commandment i give to you, that you love one another; as i have loved you, that you also love one an-other.” what can you do today to love others as Christ has loved you?

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1 CorinThians 13 (good neWs TranslaTion)

1 i may be able to speak the languages of human beings and even of angels, but if i have no love, my speech is no more than a noisy gong or a clanging bell. 2 i may have the gift of inspired preaching; i may have all knowledge and understand all secrets; i may have all the faith needed to move mountains - but if i have no love, i am nothing. 3 i may give away everything i have, and even give up my body to be burned - but if i have no love, this does me no good. 4 Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud; 5 love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs; 6 love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth. 7 Love never gives up; and its faith, hope, and patience never fail. 8 Love is eternal. There are inspired messages, but they are temporary; there are gifts of speaking in strange tongues, but they will cease; there is knowledge, but it will pass. 9 for our gifts of knowledge and of inspired messages are only partial; 10 but when what is perfect comes, then what is partial will disappear. 11 when i was a child, my speech, feelings, and thinking were all those of a child; now that i am an adult, i have no more use for childish ways. 12 what we see now is like a dim image in a mirror; then we shall see face-to-face. what i know now is only partial; then it will be complete - as complete as god’s knowledge of me. 13 Meanwhile these three remain: faith, hope, and love; and the greatest of these is love. scripture taken from the good News Translation - second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible society. Used by Permission. (The good News Translation - The Holy Bible Online)

Day 21

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John 13:35 records these words: “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” List or pro-pose one behavior of yours that shows or will show the world your love for other believers?

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1 CorinThians 13 (Third millennium BiBle)

1 Though i speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not charity, i am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though i have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though i have all faith so that i could remove mountains, but have not charity, i am nothing. 3 And though i bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though i give my body to be burned, but have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up; 5 doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 8 Charity never faileth. But whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9 for we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 11 when i was a child, i spoke as a child, i understood as a child, i thought as a child; but when i became a man, i put away childish things. 12 for now we see through a glass, darkly, but then face to face. Now i know in part; but then shall i know, even as also i am known. 13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. Third Millennium Bible (TMB), New Authorized Version, Copyright 1998 by Deuel Enterprises, inc., gary, sD 57237. All rights reserved. (Third Millennium Bible Online)

Day 22

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LovingLeadership

John 15:13, “greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” some research may be required, but list below the name of an inspiring person in history who has given his or her life for a noble cause.

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1 CorinThians 13 (ComPleTe JeWish BiBle)

1 i may speak in the tongues of men, even angels; but if i lack love, i have become merely blaring brass or a cymbal clanging. 2 i may have the gift of prophecy, i may fathom all mysteries, know all things, have all faith - enough to move mountains; but if i lack love, i am nothing. 3 i may give away everything that i own, i may even hand over my body to be burned; but if i lack love, i gain nothing. 4 Love is patient and kind, not jealous, not boast-ful, 5 not proud, rude or selfish, not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not gloat over other people’s sins but takes its delight in the truth. 7 Love always bears up, always trusts, always hopes, always endures. 8 Love never ends; but prophecies will pass, tongues will cease, knowledge will pass. 9 for our knowledge is partial, and our prophecy partial; 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass. 11 when i was a child, i spoke like a child, thought like a child, argued like a child; now that i have become a man, i have finished with childish ways. 12 for now we see obscurely in a mirror, but then it will be face to face. Now i know partly; then i will know fully, just as god has fully known me. 13 But for now, three things last trust, hope, love; and the greatest of these is love. Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. stern. Pub-lished by Jewish New Testament Publications, inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission. (The Complete Jewish Bible Online)

Day 23

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LovingLeadership

John 21:17: “He said to him the third time, ‘simon, son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that i love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘feed my sheep’. ” List one way that will demonstrate your love for god to the most needy and vulnerable in your church today.

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1 CorinThians 13 (douay-rheims)

1 if i speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, i am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And if i should have prophecy and should know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if i should have all faith, so that i could remove mountains, and have not charity, i am nothing. 3 And if i should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if i should deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 4 Charity is patient, is kind: charity envieth not, dealeth not perversely, is not puffed up, 5 is not ambitious, seeketh not her own, is not provoked to anger, thinketh no evil: 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with the truth: 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 8 Char-ity never falleth away: whether prophecies shall be made void or tongues shall cease or knowledge shall be destroyed. 9 for we know in part: and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away. 11 when i was a child, i spoke as a child, i understood as a child, i thought as a child. But, when i became a man, i put away the things of a child. 12 we see now through a glass in a dark manner: but then face to face. Now i know in part: but then i shall know even as i am known. 13 And now there remain faith, hope, and charity, these three: but the greatest of these is charity. The Douay-Rheims Bible is in the public domain. (Douay Rheims Catholic Bible Translation Online)

Day 24

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Romans 5:5: “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of god has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy spirit who was given to us.” On whom will you pour the love of god today? And how will you do that?

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1 CorinThians 13 (World english BiBle)

1 if i speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don’t have love, i have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal. 2 if i have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if i have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don’t have love, i am nothing. 3 if i bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and if i give my body to be burned, but don’t have love, it profits me nothing. 4 love is patient and is kind; love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud, 5 doesn’t behave itself inap-propriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil; 6 doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will be done away with. where there are various languages, they will cease. where there is knowledge, it will be done away with. 9 for we know in part, and we prophesy in part; 10 but when that which is complete has come, then that which is partial will be done away with. 11 when i was a child, i spoke as a child, i felt as a child, i thought as a child. Now that i have become a man, i have put away childish things. 12 for now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now i know in part, but then i will know fully, even as i was also fully known. 13 But now remain faith, hope, and love: these three. The greatest of these is love. The world English Bible is in the public domain. (The world English Bible Online)

Day 25

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Romans 5:8: “But god demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” is there someone “unworthy” who needs your love today?

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1 CorinThians 13 (WeymouTh neW TesTamenT)

1 if i can speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but am destitute of Love, i have but become a loud-sounding trumpet or a clanging cymbal. 2 if i possess the gift of prophecy and am versed in all mysteries and all knowledge, and have such absolute faith that i can remove mountains, but am destitute of Love, i am nothing. 3 And if i distribute all my possessions to the poor, and give up my body to be burned, but am destitute of love, it profits me nothing. 4 Love is patient and kind. Love knows neither envy nor jealousy. Love is not forward and self-assertive, nor boastful and conceited. 5 she does not behave unbecomingly, nor seek to aggrandize herself, nor blaze out in passionate anger, nor brood over wrongs. 6 she finds no pleasure in injustice done to others, but joyfully sides with the truth. 7 she knows how to be silent. she is full of trust, full of hope, full of patient endurance. 8 Love never fails. But if there are prophecies, they will be done away with; if there are languages, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be brought to an end. 9 for our knowledge is imperfect, and so is our prophesying; 10 but when the perfect state of things is come, all that is imperfect will be brought to an end. 11 when i was a child, i talked like a child, felt like a child, reasoned like a child: when i became a man, i put from me childish ways. 12 for the present we see things as if in a mirror, and are puzzled; but then we shall see them face to face. for the present the knowledge i gain is imperfect; but then i shall know fully, even as i am fully known. 13 And so there remain faith, Hope, Love--these three; and of these the greatest is Love. The weymouth New Testament is in the public domain. (wey-mouth New Testament - Holy Bible )

Day 26

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Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love god, to those who are the called accord-ing to His purpose.” List one way in which god worked something out in your life that amazed you.

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1 CorinThians 13 (The WeBsTer BiBle)

1 Though i speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, i am become [as] sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though i have [the gift of] prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though i have all faith, so that i could remove mountains, and have not charity, i am nothing. 3 And though i bestow all my goods to feed [the poor], and though i give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 4 Charity suffereth long, [and] is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not easily provoked, thin-keth no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 8 Charity never faileth: but whether [there are] proph-ecies, they shall fail; whether [there are] languages, they shall cease; whether [there is] knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9 for we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 11 when i was a child, i spoke as a child, i understood as a child, i thought as a child: but when i became a man, i put away childish things. 12 for now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face: now i know in part; but then shall i know even as also i am known. 13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these [is] charity. The webster Bible is in the public domain. (The webster Bible Online)

Day 27

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LovingLeadership

Romans 12:9, 10: “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one an-other.” Name someone whom you can “prefer” today.

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1 CorinThians 13 (heBreW names Version)

1 if i speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don’t have love, i have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal. 2 if i have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if i have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don’t have love, i am nothing. 3 if i dole out all my goods to feed the poor, and if i give my body to be burned, but don’t have love, it profits me nothing. 4 love is patient and is kind; love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud, 5 doesn’t behave itself inap-propriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil; 6 doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will be done away with. where there are various languages, they will cease. where there is knowledge, it will be done away with. 9 for we know in part, and we prophesy in part; 10 but when that which is complete has come, then that which is partial will be done away with. 11 when i was a child, i spoke as a child, i felt as a child, i thought as a child. Now that i have become a man, i have put away childish things. 12 for now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now i know in part, but then i will know fully, even as i was also fully known. 13 But now remain faith, hope, and love: these three. The greatest of these is love. The Hebrew Names Version is in the public domain. (Hebrew Names Version - The Holy Bible Online)

Day 28

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LovingLeadership

Romans 13:8 says, “Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.” To whom do you owe love today? How can you communicate it?

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1 CorinThians 13 (BiBle in BasiC english)

1 if i make use of the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, i am like sounding brass, or a loud-tongued bell. 2 And if i have a prophet’s power, and have knowledge of all secret things; and if i have all faith, by which mountains may be moved from their place, but have not love, i am nothing. 3 And if i give all my goods to the poor, and if i give my body to be burned, but have not love, it is of no profit to me. 4 love is never tired of waiting; love is kind; love has no envy; love has no high opinion of itself, love has no pride; 5 Love’s ways are ever fair, it takes no thought for itself; it is not quickly made angry, it takes no account of evil; 6 it takes no pleasure in wrongdoing, but has joy in what is true; 7 Love has the power of undergoing all things, having faith in all things, hoping all things. 8 Though the prophet’s word may come to an end, tongues come to nothing, and knowledge have no more value, love has no end. 9 for our knowledge is only in part, and the prophet’s word gives only a part of what is true: 10 But when that which is complete is come, then that which is in part will be no longer necessary. 11 when i was a child, i made use of a child’s language, i had a child’s feelings and a child’s thoughts: now that i am a man, i have put away the things of a child. 12 for now we see things in a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now my knowledge is in part; then it will be complete, even as god’s knowledge of me. 13 But now we still have faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love. The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain. (The Bible in Basic English Version Online)

Day 29

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LovingLeadership

Romans 14:15 says, “Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died.” List one way i can regulate my own freedom in the interest of edifying (building up) someone else.

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1 CorinThians 13 (reVised sTandard Version)

if i speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, i am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if i have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if i have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, i am nothing. 3 if i give away all i have, and if i deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, i gain nothing. 4 Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; 5 it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 for our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect; 10 but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away. 11 when i was a child, i spoke like a child, i thought like a child, i reasoned like a child; when i became a man, i gave up childish ways. 12 for now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now i know in part; then i shall understand fully, even as i have been fully under-stood. 13 so faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

The Revised standard Version. 1971. Oak Harbor, wA: Logos Re-search systems, inc.

Day 30

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LovingLeadership

Ephesians 4:1-2 says, “walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuf-fering, bearing with one another in love.” Before whom should i humble myself today?

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1 CorinThians 13 (inTernaTional sTandard Version)

1 if i speak in the languages of humans and angels but have no love, i have become a reverberating gong or a clashing cymbal. 2if i have the gift of prophecy and can understand all secrets and ev-ery form of knowledge, and if i have absolute faith so as to move mountains but have no love, i am nothing. 3 even if i give away everything that i have and sacrifice myself, but have no love, i gain nothing.4 Love is always patient; love is always kind; love is never envious or arrogant with pride. Nor is she conceited,5 and she is never rude; she never thinks just of herselfor ever get annoyed. she never is resentful;6 is never glad with sin, but always glad to side with truth,whene’er the truth should win.7 she bears up under everything, believes the best in all, there is no limit to her hope, and she will never fall.8 Love never fails. Now if there are prophecies, they will be done away with. if there are languages, they will cease. if there is knowledge, it will be done away with. 9 for what we know is incomplete and what we prophesy is incomplete. 10 But when what is complete comes, then what is incomplete will be done away with.11 when i was a child, i spoke like a child, thought like a child, and reasoned like a child. when i became a man, i gave up my childish ways. 12 Now we see only an indistinct image in a mirror, but then we will be face to face. Now what i know is incomplete, but then i will know fully, even as i have been fully known. 13 Right now three things remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. Copyright © 1996-2008 by The isV foundation.

Day 31

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LovingLeadership

John says in 1 John 3:18: “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” select one act of service that you will supply today to someone in your circle of relationships.

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Before you begin your meditation at day 1 for the next month, may I refer you to one of my favorite quotes from my all-time favorite author? “In the light from Calvary it will be seen that the law of self-renouncing love is the law of life for earth and heaven; that the love which ‘seeketh not her own’ has its source in the heart of God” (Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 19). The love that you and I are pursuing comes from above. Because this love originates with God, only God can implant the gift of agape love in our hearts. But He does! And you and I can witness to it. Now that you have completed the first month of daily meditation on 1 Corinthians, let’s track your growth in love over the last month. Have any relationships experienced complete healing or shown improvement during this month’s meditation? Which ones? Have you seen any recent changes in your own outlook or attitude toward others across the past month? What are they? Do you find yourself becoming more patient toward your family, friends or co-workers? Can you name a person who has noted your improvement in this area in the last 31 days? Has your sense of personal contentment and peace in-creased since last month? Do you find that an emerging humility is displacing arro-gance and pride? Are you advancing in your ability to rejoice in the suc-cesses or victories of others, even if you yourself are not yet as victorious or as “successful” as someone you know? How is your speaking across the past month? Do you find that your speech is growing in grace? Are you expanding your ability to think of others first, and voluntarily placing your interests last—in groups, in family discus-sions, in church committees, or in school? Have you experienced a step forward in your desire to love others even if they are difficult persons to love?

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the end is but the beginning . . . and What do We do noW?