The Greatest Gift

1 Corinthians 13 (New King James Version)

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, 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.

Eric Liddell, a former gold medal champion at the Olympic games, who spent the last 20 years of his life as a missionary teacher and rural pastor, paraphrased 1 Corinthians 13:6-8 as follows: "Love is never glad when others go wrong. Love finds no pleasure in injustice, but rejoices in the truth. Love is always slow to expose, it knows how to be silent. Love is always eager to believe the best about a person. Love is full of hope, full of patient endurance; love never fails."

A daughter was having problems with her dad because he wouldn't want to wear his hearing aid, thus he couldn't hear a word she was saying. He is alredy 83 years old, with cataract on both eyes, problem with incontinence, acid-reflux and other ailments. "If only he wears his hearing aid, there wouldn't be much of a problem taking care of him", she said in her mind while accompanying him to a bank where he transacts his pension every month. As if in response to her, a woman wearing a yellow t-shirt passed by her side and the printed bold and black letters at the back of the t-shirt talked loudly to the daughter, "If you listen with your heart, you can hear the deaf speaking." It was odd, she read it over and over again...thinking there was a mistake. But the message was true and deep...sooo deep it would make you think twice. The old man has difficulty in hearing, it is impolite to raise your voice so he could hear you... the proper thing to do is go near to the right ear that is still working and talk normally on that ear...simple solution! You have to love the person to be able to communicate with him easily. If you use your compassion and your heart in talking to him, he would hear you and there would be no misunderstanding whatsoever. Love conquers all even the hard of hearing.