1 Corinthians 13: 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. --NIV
In the name of the One Who teaches us to love, amen.
There are many gifts of the Spirit as St. Paul tells us, but one Spirit. All the many gifts of the Spirit are to be used for the good of the body of Christ. They are to build up, encourage in the faith, and witness to the glory of Christ and the salvation of others. But how often does our pride get in the way. Instead of truly loving our neighbor as yourself, we love ourselves at the expense of our neighbor. Our knowledge of Scripture can so easily become an occasion for making ourselves look good in the eyes of others. We can become legalistic in our doctrine. We may pit one gift of the Spirit against the others and use it as a test of who we think really has faith and who we think doesn't.
But St. Paul shows us that the greatest gift of the Spirit is love, because if we use the other gifts in a loveless manner, they become an evil thing. But we have love. It was given to us by God in Christ who showed to us what real love is. He had perfect knowledge but didn't flaunt it. He had all the gifts, but didn't use them as benchmark of faith. He looked at the spirit of the Law, without sacrificing the letter. And this love that we have from Him is now the one gift of the Spirit that is carried into eternity. Hope passes away with fulfillment, faith becomes the reality, but love still remains. May you use the gifts God has given you in love toward others, motivated by the love of God in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for acting toward us in love. Help us to be motivated by that love as we deal with others. Grant us Your Holy Spirit to help guide us as we use the gifts You have given us, amen.