Love Never Fails (Final Week)

Turn your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 13. 1 Corinthians chapter 13. We're going to finish up our series on 1 Corinthians 13 today. And we'll be starting a new series next week. But 1 Corinthians chapter 13 and verses 4-8. 1 Corinthians chap 13 and:es 4-8. The Bible says, "Charity or love sufferth long and is kind. Charity envieth not. Charity vaunteth not self. Is not puffed up. does not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinkketh no evil, rejoices not iniquity, but rejoices in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeeth all things, endureth all things.

Charity or love never fails. And so, we've been going through this series talking about these different characteristics of love. And I hope that uh as we've gone through there that you've been applying them in your life. But as we get down to the end of the series in verse number seven, it says that charity never faileth. Charity never faileth. Uh has love ever failed you? Have you felt like that that you know I love this person and they failed me? It says, has love ever failed you? Turn on turn over your Bibles to 1 John 4. 1 John chapter 4 and look at verses 7-10. 1 John chapter 4 and beginning with verse number 7 down through verse number 10.

1 John 4:7 it says, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God towards us, because that God sent his only begotten son into the world, that we might live through him. here in his love, not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be propitiation for our sins. And then skip down to verse number 16. It says in verse 16, "And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in in him.

Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. There's no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear because fear hath torment. He that fearth is not made perfect in love. We love him because he first loved us. And so we see here that sometimes in our lives though, we feel like that love has failed. You know, I I got married and I fell in love with this person. I thought we spent the rest of our life and now we've ended up divorced. Or or maybe you've had a friend that you thought was a close friend and that person has betrayed you and and and you felt like well I love that person and yet it failed.

Uh we know that love does not fail because that's what the Bible says. God's love will not fail you. See the problem is the failure is not in the love the love of God but the failure is often in us. You see God's love will not fail first of all to save you. In second Peter chapter 3 and verse number nine, it says, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some men count slackness, but as longsuffering to us, we're not willing that any should perish, but that all should come repentance." And I can tell you today that the love of God will never fail you in salvation. You we all all know John 3:16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

And that love of God and sending his son to die for you to give his life for you is a love that will never fail. It cannot fail you to save you. Now is you, you know, some people say, "Well, you know, I'm too bad to be saved." In 2 Timothy 1 and verse number five, it says, "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all expectation that Christ Jesus came to the world to save sinners of whom I am chief." You know, Paul wrote this. when he wrote that uh he you know we often think well he was an apostle you know he was a really bad person we were in uh Europe recently and visiting there and one of the things that we did not get to do that I kind of wish we could have time to do do is to visit one

of the concentration camps one of the camps where the death camps were uh to see that and to understand what happened in that time period in history and that was a a terrible thing and and you know when you think about those concentration camps you wonder how could anyone that would do the things that were done in those camps. How could they ever be saved? How could they ever go to heaven? But you got to understand Paul in Acts chapter 9:es 1 and two, it says, "And Saul or Paul yet breathing out threatenings of slaughter against the disciples of the Lord went into the high priests and desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound on Jerusalem."

Uh, basically Paul was the same kind of person. He was a wicked person. He was persecuting the church. He was putting people to death and separating families and throwing them into prison into dungeons. And and yet Paul said, "God save me a sinner. Who am I am chief?" He said, "There's nobody that God cannot saved." And that includes you and that includes me. Now, some people are too think they're too bad to get saved. But the other problem is there's some people that are that are too good to be saved. In Ephesians 2:8:9, it says, "For by grace are you saved through faith, then not of yourselves."

This is a gift of God, not of works, lest a man should boast. And see, often the problem is is there's some people that think, "Well, I'm good enough to go to heaven. I I go to church and I I give money to the poor and I do all kinds I all these good things." And we think we're going to be good enough to go into heaven. But God says it's not of our good works that we're saved. The problem is all of us are sinners. In Romans 3:23, it says, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." And whether you're a really terrible bad sinner or whether you're just a good sinner, you're still a sinner and lost without Jesus Christ as your savior.

But you know what? God's love can save you. And and and if you're not saved, it's not a failure of God's love. It's not a failure of God. In Luke chapter 19 and verse number 10, it says, "For the son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." God has come to save you. He has given himself to save you. He is looking for you. He wants to save you. And if you don't get saved, it's not a failure of God's love. He sent his son to die for you. He sent his son to give his life for you. In Romans chapter 5 and verse number eight, it says, "But God commendeth or showed his love towards us.

And that while sinners, Christ died for us. And God loved you even when you were a sinner. And God sent his son to seek you so that he could save you. And if you fail to get saved, it's not a failure of God's love. It's a failure that you have not trusted Christ as your savior. Go over to 1 Corinthians chapter 15 if you would. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. And I want you to look at verses 1-4. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. I'm 1 Corinthians. Let's see. Um yeah, 1 Corinthians 15 1-4. It says, "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you received, and wherein you stand by which you are saved, if you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain.

For I delivered unto you first of all that which also received, how that Jesus that Christ was died for our sins, according to scriptures, and that he was buried and rose again the third day according to the scriptures." You see, folks, if you go to hell, it's not a failure of God's love. Because if you go to hell, you're going to have to go to hell over his dead body. You ever say had somebody say to you, "Over my dead body?" Well, Jesus said, "It's over my dead body." Because he died for you. But he didn't just die for you, but he was buried and rose again to give you eternal life. And if you do not get saved, it's not a failure of God's love.

It's a failure of you to trust Jesus Christ as your savior. You see Romans chapter 10 and verses 9 and 10 it said if thou sh that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shall believe in thine heart that God has raised the dead thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth under righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:13 it says for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. You see, the failure is not in God's love for you because he has done all he can to save you. He sent his son to die for you, to give you eternal life, to take away your sins.

But the failure is that you have not trusted Jesus Christ as your savior. And you need to call upon him as your savior today. Now, go over to Revelation chapter 20. Revelation chapter 20. H how many of you are uh I know summer break but basically in this time in life you're taking some kind of school courses uh in in one way or the other whether it's high school, college or uh uh extra whatever in military how many are taking courses right now? Raise your hand. How many are in school in some way? A number of you are. And you know when I was in school one of the things that I really liked was uh when we had a test I I really like the open book test.

Don't you? Uh those those are the great those are the good kind of tests where you can go and look up the answer if you need to and you got that open book test. Well, you know what God has he also has an open book test in Revelation 20 and in verses uh 11-15 the Bible says and I saw a great white throne him that sat on it from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the books were opened. And another book was open, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works.

And the sea gave up the dead which were in it. And death and and hell, excuse me, delivered up the dead which were in them. And they were judged, every man, according to their works. And death and hell were cast in the lake of fire. This is the second death. and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast to the lake of fire. God says at that final judgment there's going to be books that are going to be open. And by the way there in verse number 13 or verse number um uh number 13 the sea gave the dead which in them death and hell would deliver the dead which were in them and they were judged every man according to their works.

Um you say pastor you just said that it's not by works we get into heaven and it's not. Your works are going to get you into hell. The Bible says in Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death." And you and I, our sin is going to get us into hell. But it's only by Jesus Christ that our sin can be forgiven. And we can be then not judged according to our works, but we can be judged according to our relationship with Christ as our savior. And so, we need to put our faith and trust in him. You see, one day, God's going to have an open book test. and you're going to stand before him and he's going to hand you a Bible to say, "Show me from the word of God why I should let you into heaven."

You see the book, there'll be many books open and we don't have time to go into that. But he said one of the books to be open is the word of God because it it's in the word of God that we find our salvation. In 1 John 5 12 and 13, it says, "He that hath the son hath life. He that hath not the son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the son of God that you may know that you have eternal life and that you may believe on the name of the son of God. You see, God wrote it down in the book so you can know that you're going to heaven. He wrote it down that you could look up and say, "Here's the answer.

I'm going to heaven because of Jesus Christ." In John 5:39, Jesus said, "Search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me." And we need to realize that. We got to know from the word of God that I'm saved, that I'm going to heaven, that I know that I have trusted Jesus Christ as my savior. Do you know that today? You see, God's love will not fail to save you. But the failure is you haven't trusted him as your savior. You haven't called upon him. But God's love also will not fail to change you. In 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 17, it says, "Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he's a new creature.

Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. And God's love can change you. But you have to you can you can be changed through the renewing of your mind. In Romans 12:1 and2, it says, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto him, which is your reasonable service. and be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. And and God's love can transform you and change you through his word.

But you know, you've got to be in the word of God to be changed and and you've got to put these things into practice. Go over to 1 Timothy chapter 4. 1 Timothy chapter 4. A while back, I I read about a an exercise program that that guaranteed you will lose weight. It guaranteed it. It says it will not fail. You will lose weight. I I I got it and read through it and I still haven't lost weight. I don't know why. Uh the failure is not in the program. The failure is in me exercising the program. In 1 Timothy 4 and:es 6-9, it says, "If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, where unto where unto thou hast attained, but refuse profane and old wise fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.

For bodily exercise profit little, but godliness is profit unto all things, having promised of life that now is and of that which is to come. You see, God says, I have uh that exercise will not fail you. You can read the all the exercise programs you want. You can you can uh download all the diet plans you want, but until you actually put it into practice, uh every diet and every exercise plan is going to fail unless you do it. You see, it's not the failure is not in the diet. The failure is not in the exercise plan, but the failure is in you and I to follow through, to put into practice. Go over to 1 Corinthians chapter 9.

1 Corinthians chapter 9 and look at verses 24 through 27. 1 Corinthians chapter 9 and:es 24- 27. 1 Corinthians 9:24 it says, "Know ye not that they which run a race, but run of all, but one receiveth the prize. So run that you may obtain. And every man that striveth through mastery is tempered in all things. Now we do they do it to obtain a corruptal crown, but we an incorruptible. I therefore run not as uncertainly. So fight I not as one that beat the air, but I keep honor my body and bring subjection, lest by any means when I preach to others, I myself should be a cast away." You see, God does not fail us.

It's you and I that are the failure. It's you and I that fail to to to renew and to learn what is new and what is right. It's you and I that fail to put it in practice to exercise it. God's given us the book to open. He's given us his word to show us how to have victory. You know, a lot of people read 1 Corinthians 13 and they say, "Pastor, I tried doing everything it said there and it still failed. My husband left me. My wife left me. My my friends have deserted me. It it still failed." Uh, Romans 12 and verse number 18 says this, "If it be possible, as much as lith in you, live peacefully with all men."

You see, God's promise is not that he's going to change the other person. But God's promise is that he's going to change us. In 1 John 4:es 7 and 8 again, it says, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love." You see, when the Bible says that love never fails, so often what we do, well pastor, if I do all these things, does that mean he's going to change? If I do all these things, does that mean she's going to change? No. And that's not the promise here. The promise is that God is going to change you and God is going to change me.

And and that's where love never fails if we allow it to change us. Now listen, when you do these things, what you do provide is an environment for change. Go over to first Peter chapter 3. 1 Peter chapter 3 is what's the purpose of doing all those things that love talks about and being patient and kind and all the rest of it. In in 1 Peter chapter 3 and and verse number one, it says, "And likewise you wives be in subjection to your own husbands is that if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be one by the conversation of their wives, the lifestyle, the way their life speaks. while they behold your chase conversation coupled with fear whose adorning let it not be the outward adorning of plating of the hair and of wearing of gold or putting on of apparel but let it be the hidden man of the heart and that which is not corruptable even the meek and quiet spirit which is in the sight of God of great price.

Skip down to verse number seven. Likewise you husbands dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor to the wife as under the weaker vessel as being heirs together the grace of life that your prayers be not hindered. And when you and I put into practice 1 Corinthians 13 and and God begins to work in our lives and and and change us, that provides the environment for the other person to change. We can't make them change. You see, the only one that can change them is themselves a and God. And if God can't change them, you're not going to change them. And and and the failure is not in that person doesn't change.

But what God wants more importantly is that you and I change. and and that he works in our lives and as we change God God works in our lives and takes us through that situation and so we need to understand that love doesn't fail to change but love is trying to change you and trying to change me and and as we see that in our lives that's what God that's where the victory is when the Bible says that love never faileth the word also be that love never falls in proverbs 10:es 8 and 9 It says, "The wise in the heart will receive commandments, but a praying fool shall fall. He that walketh uprightly walketh surely, but he that pervertth his ways shall be known."

You know, the the the love never falls to, you know, somebody once said this, to fall in love is awfully simple, but to fall out of love is simply awful. You know, there's a lot of truth to that. and and and you know we talk about falling in love but you know when this idea of falling in love is not something we just trip over and accidentally happens what we need to do is we need to start by falling in love all o with God all over again the Bible says in Matthew 22:37 Jesus said unto him thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soul and with all thy mind and I want to challenge you as we've gone through this series it's not just about loving other people, but it's really about loving God and loving God with all of our heart.

You see, often what happens is sin causes us to fall. In Proverbs 16:18, it says, "Pride goeth before destruction, the Holy Spirit before fall." And sin causes us to fall. And and that's where a lot of our problems come with other people. It's because of sin in our lives or sin in their lives. And we need to get that sin right with God. We need to choose to get back up. In Proverbs 24:16, it says, "For a just man falls seven times and rises up again, but the wicked shall fall into mischief." When I counsel people and using 1 Corinthians chapter 13, I I I I try to remind them this isn't a one-time thing.

It'sn't just you're going to go home and do this today and everything's going to be all right. It's something you have to do again and again and again and you're going to fall and you're going to fail, but you need to come back and do it over again. In Luke 17:es 3-5, it says, "Take heed to yourselves. If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him. And if you repent, forgive him. And if you trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day, turn again to thee, saying, I repent, thou shalt forgive him." And the apostle said to the Lord, increase our faith. You see, you got to get back up again.

You're going to fall and you got to get back up again. You're going to need to forgive him again and again and again. It's not a one-time thing. And so what we need to do is we need to ask God to pick us up when we fall. In Acts chapter uh Psalms 37 23 and 24 it says the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and he delight us in his way. Though we fall, he shall not be uttered and cast down for the Lord upholded him with his hand. And God wants to carry you through. You see, I know there's some in this room that you're thinking, pastor, you know, my situation, uh I I've tried to do what you talked about.

But I tried to put these things into practice and it just hasn't changed anything. And and you know what? You got to keep coming back again and again and again as much as lith in you because the failure is not with God. The failure is with us. But we've got to understand that what God wants to do is not he's not out to focus on changing the other person. It's about changing you. And when God changes you, then he can change your circumstances. And when God changes you, if your circumstances don't change, you still have the love of God to carry you through that situation. See, what happens so often is we fall out of love.

You ever had somebody say, "Why, I fell out of love with my husband. I fell out of love with my wife." Listen, you I I don't think you fall into love, and I don't think you fall out of love. You see, so often we we fall out of love like with God. In John 7:38, it says, "He that believeth on me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." You see, it's out of that that that love that comes from God. And he is the source. He says, "I want that love to come out of you from me." It's like having a hose. You know, with with a hose, you got a hose and you got to connect it to a water source and you go and turn on that water source and you're waiting for the water to come out and it doesn't come out.

And and what's the problem? It's not with the water source. It's because there's all those kinks in the hose. You ever had that happen? You know, you got to take the whole hose and get it all straightened out and get all the kinks out of it because there's no water coming out. And the failure is not in the source, God. the failure is in that flow in our lives and and that's where we need to fix that problem. That's why we need to change that problem because he is the source of love. So get the kinks out. You know in Psalms 1197 the Bible says, "Oh, how I love thy law is my meditation all the day."

You know, when I'm not loving the Bible, I'm not loving others. It's a kink. it's causing that flow of God's love to be stopped in my life and I need to open up that kink and I need to get back into the word of God. And if you're having trouble loving somebody, then you need to get into the word of God. Bible says in Psalms 122:1, I was glad when they said unto me, let's go into the house of the Lord. In verse 9, it says, because of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek thy good. You know what I find? The more I'm in church, the more I want to seek the good of others. The more I'm church, the better relationship I have with my wife.

The more I'm in church, the better relationship is is about being in church. And when you're not faithful to church when you're not here, that's a kink in that love, the flow of the love of God in your life. In Matthew 6:24, it says, "No man can serve two masters. For either you hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold the one, despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. You see, when we've got our eyes off of God and we got our eyes on the things of this world, that's a kink in that hose. And God wants that love to flow through our lives because out of us shall flow that river of water.

Matthew 22:39 it says the second the first commandment shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soul with all thy mind but the second is like unto it thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. So often we will fall out of love with other people around us. And when you find yourself falling out of love, that's the time to do the actions of love. If you'll go back through 1 Corinthians 13, here's one of the keys I want you to leave here with today is this. If you go through 1 Corinthians 13, there there's nothing in there about what you feel. It's all about what you do. Get this down.

There's nothing in there about what you feel. It's all about what you do. Well, pastor, I don't feel love towards them anymore. Then that's when you need to start acting like you love them more and more. Not acting like an actor in a theater putting on a show, but the genuine actions of love. In Ephesians 5:25, it says, "Husbands, love your wives even as Christ loved the church." And that's a a command of God. And those of you in the military, you know that a command has to be obeyed whether you feel like it or not. When the when the when the officer above you commands you to be at work at a certain time, well, I don't feel like getting up that early.

when they tell you to go do a job. Well, I just don't feel like doing that. Let's try that tomorrow at work and see how far that gets you. Now, now understand this. No matter how much rank I have above you, I cannot command you to feel something. You know, you come into work and you're all down, depressed, and looking sad. I I I can't come in there and say, "I command you to feel happy." Nobody can already do that. But you know what I can command you to do? I can command you to act happy. Put a smile on your face, soldier. I don't want to see that dirty look in your face anymore. I can command an action.

I can't cannot command a feeling. Now, what I have found is that when I do the actions, the feelings tend to follow. I did not feel like getting up this morning. I don't know about you, but my alarm went off at 5:30 this morning. I did not feel like getting up, but I got up. And you know what? Now I'm glad I'm here. If you'd asked me about a couple hours, about three or four hours ago if I was glad I was up, I'd have said no. But I'm glad I'm here because I did the actions despite how I felt. And that's the key to understand is it's not about how you feel. I don't feel in love anymore. It's about acting.

You don't feel like going to church, but you need to go to church. You don't feel like reading your Bible, but you need to read your Bible. You don't feel like praying, but you need to pray. And not only with God, but actions towards others as well. I don't feel love towards my wife right now. Then you need to love her even more by your actions. It's something we do. You see, love is an action that you and I have to do. I want you to go to Proverbs chapter 4. Proverbs chapter 4. I want to look at verses 4-9. And one of the other things that as I studied this passage, it's not directly there, but it is what I got the feel, you know, is is when the Bible says love never fails, is that we got to catch that love.

We've got to not drop that love. When I was in school, I played right field. Now, when you hear that I played right field, what does that tell you about me as an athlete? Excellent. Yeah. Right field was the place they put. Yeah. They got about you're playing shortstop, you're playing pitcher, you're going to play first base. Hey, you're you're out in right field because not many you know and and and and but you know, I played out there in right field and and uh I remember one time I was out there in right field and somebody hit a ball out there and I was looking at I got it. I got it. I got it.

And guess what happened? I dropped it. It hit my glove, but then it bounced out and hit the ground. My coach came over to me later on and said, "Listen, you've got to when it gets in your glove, you got to take the other hand and hold on to it. It's not enough just to have it your glove. You got to keep that ball. You got to hold on to it." And that's what God wants us to do. I My prayer for you is this. that this whole series that you would that you caught it that you've got it that love suffered long and is kind and what that means that love envieth not love vth not that you've got a hold of these things and and and and then you're going to hold on to them not drop that ball in Proverbs chapter 4 and beginning with verse number four.

Proverbs chapter 4 and beginning with verse number four. The Bible says, "He taught me also said unto me, let thine heart retain my words. Keep my commandments and live. Get wisdom, get understanding, forget it not, neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee. Love her, and she shall keep thee." Wisdom is the principal thing. Therefore, get wisdom, and with all thy getting, get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall uh promote thee, and she shall bring thee to honor. when thou dost embrace her. So she she you give that eye in the heart. An ornament of grace, a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.

You see, he wants us to grab hold of it and to catch it. Look at verse four again. He taught me also and said unto me, "Let thine heart retain my words. Keep my commandments and live." You see, what God wants us to do is he wants us to grab hold of it. He wants us to make sure that when it gets in our glove, when we get it, to hold on to it, and not drop the ball, but to keep it and to hold on to it. Look at verses 11- 15. I have taught thee in the way of wisdom. I have led thee in the right path. When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straightened, and when thou runest, thou shalt not stumble.

Take fast hold of instruction. Let her not go. keep her, for she is thy life. Enter not in the path of the wicked and go not in the way of evil. Again, he says, grab hold of that instruction. Hold on to it. Don't let it go. Don't drop the ball. But notice also he said in the in verse number 12, when thou goest, thy step shall not be straightened. You'll not stumble. And when thou runest, thou shalt not stumble. You're not going to fall. And and God wants us to be able to go through life without stumbling. But here's the thing. God doesn't promise he's going to make the path smooth. But what God does say is this.

He'll guide you through that path. He'll guide you through that path so you don't stumble and you don't fall. In Psalms 119 verse 105, it says, "Thy word is a lamp into my feet and a light into my path." And what God wants us to do is he wants us to light that path so we can see the stumbling blocks so we can see the potholes and we can avoid them. And that's what God wants to do. He doesn't want us to drop that ball. And so what's important here is this is love never fails. But if you got the wrong concept in your mind, it's going to fail you. Because love starts with God will never fail you. He will never leave you nor forsake you.

He is there for you. And it starts with salvation. But God says, "My love is sufficient for you." And he says, "What you need to do is understand it's not about changing the other person, but it's about changing you." Now when you change, what you do is provide the environment the opportunity for them to change. It's not about what I feel, it's about what I do. And I need to do the things that God has taught me to do. And so hope this series, this last few months has been helpful to you to apply in your marriage, in your family relationships, in your friendships, to apply those things to grab hold of them.

So don't drop the ball. Good catch, Zeke. All right. Don't drop that ball, but be ready for it. Be ready when it comes. Right, Ricky? Hey, look at that. Pretty good job there. All right. You ready? Because you don't know when it's going to come, but you got to be ready to grab hold of it. Don't let it go. Love. Let's look at this. Look at 1 Corinthians chapter 13. You're going to put the words on the screen. And I think they've got them. Got first Corinthians 13 there. All right. We're going to say that. We're going to put the words on the screen. We're going to say them together. And I want you to ask God to help you to get a hold of these things in your marriage, in your family, in your life as we read together.

So 1 Corinthians chapter 13, beginning with verse number four down through verse number eight. Say it together with me. Charity suffered long and is kind. Charity envieth not. Charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up. Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinkketh no evil, rejoicth not iniquity, but rejoices in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never fail. And that's the truth of God. These things will not fail you. The failure is not in God's love.