Bible Reading1 Corinthians 13:1-3 “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 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 do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.”
[19:49] [22:21]1 John 4:16 “We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”
[10:28]1 Corinthians 3:11 “For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
[02:14] [36:50]Isaiah 40:31 “Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.”
[03:27]Isaiah 59:19 “So they will fear the name of the LORD from the west and His glory from the rising of the sun, for He will come like a rushing stream which the wind of the LORD drives.”
[04:17] [05:53]Nahum 1:7 “The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who take refuge in Him.”
[06:55]Matthew 28:20 “Teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
[07:40]John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
[08:16]Jeremiah 17:9-10 “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds.”
[13:53]John 13:34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”
[17:48]1 John 3:18 “Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”
[29:40]Matthew 5:44 “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
[30:37]2 Corinthians 10:5 “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”
[34:50]Observation questions- In 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, what three results does Paul give for speech, spiritual gifts, and sacrifice that are done without love?
- What kinds of changing circumstances are contrasted with Christ’s steady foundation: emotions, money, relationships, health, and difficult seasons? [02:42]
- According to Jeremiah 17:9-10, what does God search and test, and what hidden heart issues can affect even outwardly good actions? [14:30]
- What practical expressions of visible love are named in connection with 1 John 3:18? [29:48]
Interpretation questions- Paul says that a person can be gifted, knowledgeable, generous, and sacrificial yet still have “nothing” without love. What does this reveal about the difference between being spiritually active and having a heart shaped by Christ? [25:25]
- If Christ is the only foundation, why is love not merely an optional addition to Christian life but evidence that the house built on that foundation resembles Christ? [26:52]
- Jeremiah says the heart can be deceitful, while God searches it. How might a person sincerely believe an action is loving while being driven by recognition, resentment, control, or the need to be needed? [23:34]
- Jesus commands believers to love enemies, yet love does not require agreement, tolerating abuse, or removing wise boundaries. What might loving someone with appropriate boundaries look like in a real relationship? [31:17]
Application questions- What circumstance has been shaking your sense of stability lately—fatigue, finances, health, relationships, grief, or uncertainty? What would it look like this week to stand on Christ rather than allowing that circumstance to become your foundation? [02:55]
- Isaiah says those who wait on the Lord renew their strength. Where are you tired enough that you need to stop striving alone and deliberately wait on God through prayer, Scripture, rest, or asking for help? [03:27]
- Is there an area of service, giving, ministry, or care for others where you need to ask God honestly, “What is driving me?” What motives might need to be surrendered so that love—not recognition, resentment, or obligation—leads your actions? [24:52]
- Who is one person who needs to encounter visible love from you this week? Could that love take the form of a call, encouragement, forgiveness, practical help, patient listening, mercy, or simply making room for them? [29:55]
- Is there a person whose actions have wounded, disappointed, or frustrated you? What would it mean to refuse hatred in your heart while still keeping a healthy and necessary boundary? [31:23]
- What thought have you been replaying about another person or about yourself—such as “They do not like me,” “They meant to hurt me,” or “I will never forgive”? How can you test that thought by asking whether it is true, loving, biblical, and Christ-like? [34:52]
- Where might love require self-denial for you right now: giving up the last word, apologizing, seeking to understand before being understood, telling the truth, forgiving, or doing good without expecting anything back? [32:00]
