Love Prevails

“Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13

I grew up in a family that enjoyed playing card games. Although I can barely remember the rules for the games we played, I do remember that certain games had trump cards.

A trump card is a card which is elevated in rank. Trump cards automatically prevail over all others. 

Faith and hope are incredibly important elements in our relationship with God. But love is the trump card.

Jesus often commended people for their faith. The bible tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God; that faith can move mountains. The Amplified Bible says faith is the “title deed” of things hoped for. 

Hebrews 6:19 teaches us that hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. According to Romans 15:4, the scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.

But without love, even faith and hope take second place. Without love, our ability to master all the languages of earth and of angels would be nothing more than a bunch of noise. If we were endowed with all the spiritual gifts but didn’t love others, our gifts would be worthless. If we were incredibly generous and self-sacrificing, even to the point of death, but didn’t love others, we would have gained nothing.

In 1 Corinthians we learn how love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Although faith and hope are tremendously important, it’s love that prevails over all others.