Love That Never Fails

If you’ve ever wondered whether your faith is strong or just loud, this conversation lands like a mirror. We start by reading all of 1 Corinthians 13 and letting it set the standard: without the love of God, even the most impressive spiritual gifts, sacrifice, and knowledge turn into noise. We slow down on the words we think we already know, patience, kindness, truth, endurance, and ask what agape love looks like when it has to survive real pressure.

From there, we get practical about spiritual maturity through the lens of “putting away childish things.” We draw a sharp line between childish and childlike: childish is petty and reactive, childlike is sincere, curious, and open. We also talk about imagination as an image center God can use, and why a pure, childlike inner life makes room for peace, clarity, and love that doesn’t keep score. Kindness isn’t weakness here; we describe it as strength with authority that can outlast unkindness.

We also zoom out to the world stage, including Israel, rising hostility, and the call for believers to live as one new man in Christ rather than getting swept into hate and division. We close with prayer for transformation, provision, and the ability to steward God’s glory through hard transitions. If you’re hungry for a Christian podcast episode about agape love, spiritual growth, and staying steady in uncertain times, hit play, then subscribe, share, and leave a review, what challenged you most?

Transcript

Love Defined By 1 Corinthians 13

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You know, I found if I if I speak in the tongues of men and even of angels, but I don't have love, I am really just a gong that sounds crazy or symbols that are just clashing, right? And even if I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but I don't have love, dude, I'm nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames and have not love, folks, I gain nothing. You know why? Because love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud, it is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, don't get this. This is really, really, really important. Love, the love of God. We're talking about the love of God, not just the love that people attach onto a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, right? I love that sandwich. No, we're talking about the love of God, the type of love that is unconditional. It's not based upon what we do or how we perform, it's based upon the fact that God is love. And love is the basis of everything that proceeds from the very heart, the very mouth, the very actions of God. Everything is based upon love. And his love, his love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they're going to cease. Where there are tongues, they will eventually be stilled. Where there is knowledge, it's it's it's it's eventually it's going to pass away. Because we we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection in a mirror. But then and that then is very soon. That then is very soon. Then I shall know fully even as I am fully known. Ah I look forward to that portion right there, that fully knowing, because now I know in part, I know things partially. And even when I prophesy, I'm prophesying in part. But there's a perfection that's coming, that perfection is Jesus. The second coming of Jesus, when the perfection appears, that's going to that's going to change. Now I know in part, and then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these are these things, right? These things, there are three things that remain. And those three things are faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. And I just read the entire chapter of 1 Corinthians 13. There is a message in that portion of scripture that is very relevant to the world that we're living in today, right now, because we are facing some very dramatic changes across the nations because of what's taking place in the Middle East, and Israel being center stage, and it's God's plan that Israel would be at

Unconditional Love As God’s Foundation

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center stage right now, and soon we're going to see the body of Christ being center stage. Because there is going to be certain things that God is going to do to and through his church, his ekklesia, the called-out ones, the body of Christ, those who are born again because of the very shed blood and covenant relationship found in Jesus Christ. Faith in him opens up a door through which the Holy Spirit brings about redemption into our life. He redeems us from the slave to death that we once were and gives us access into the kingdom of God and relationship with Jesus. A living, real relationship with Jesus, who will introduce us and who faithfully introduces us to God the Father. My introduction to the Father was absolutely life-transforming. Because I had a previous notion of God the Father as being very uptight, very strict, very hard to please. I come to find out that really is just the opposite of who he is. He is far more loving than we give him credit for. His

Meeting The Father Beyond Religion

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love is from everlasting to everlasting. It doesn't change. It's strong, it's real, and it's relational. It's not religious. It's not perfunctory. It's based upon intimacy. It's based upon us knowing one another so deeply that the best physical expression that can be correlated to it is the experience that a man and a woman encounter when they engage in knowing one another. That deep penetration, that giving of oneself over to and receiving into on both ends, that act of giving and receiving, that intimacy, that love, that deep penetration, is the type of love that God is interested in. And he is seeing to it that anything that comes in between us and his love, he is going to eradicate. It's not his interest in destroying people, it's removing things that look to interfere in our relationship with him and in our relationships with one another. And one of the ways that we find often people getting tripped up in relationships with God and with one another is when we act childishly. Not childlike. There's a difference. There's a difference between being childish and being childlike. Childish carries a negative connotation, describing immature, petty, or inappropriate behavior in an adult in contrast, in contrast. Now in contrast, childlike is a positive or neutral term

Childish Versus Childlike Faith

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that highlights admirable qualities associated with youth, such as innocence, wonder, and curiosity. I want to read that again. Childish, no the difference between childish and childlike. Childish carries a negative connotation, describing immature, petty or inappropriate behavior in an adult. In contrast, childlike is a positive or neutral term that highlights admirable qualities associated with youth, such as innocence, wonder, and curiosity. Key differences, right? Connotation childish is derogatory whilst childlike is complimentary. Focus. Childish focus excuse me. Childish focuses on a lack of maturity or self control. Childlike focuses on sincerity, imagination, and an open heart. Context You would call an adult's temper tantrum childish, but praise someone's childlike enthusiasm for life. Childish versus childlike. And there's this place that comes into play that God is after, so that we can lay down childishness. And one of the areas that has been deeply impacted by childishness and our sinful lifestyle prior to knowing Jesus is the impact it's had on our imaginations. Our imaginations are designed to be image centers in which God can convey his thoughts, his images, his pictures. He has an image nation for us. A

Imagination, Kindness, And Spiritual Authority

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nation of images that God can convey to us and through us via our imagination. Having an active imagination that has this aspect of innocence, wonder, and curiosity to it, man, that's powerful. That's a place in which love can flourish also. Because love is childlike. The love of God is childlike. And we need to operate in the love of God because we can see the apostle Paul in describing what love is like in 1 Corinthians 13. The first thing he says is love is patient. And then he goes on to say, love, the love of God, agape.

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Love is kind. More than nice, love bleeds kindness. When you'd think that you'd get retribution, you get an act of kindness.

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And sometimes kindness, mercy, they triumph over judgment. They're actually stronger than the things that come against us, because the strength of kindness is greater than the external pressures that look to come against us that are unkind. You see, unkindness needs to and will yield to kindness because kindness has authority. Interesting. Kindness and patience have authority.

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Love doesn't envy.

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Why? It doesn't have to. The love of God has no lack within it. Love of God is perfect shalom. That means there are no needs, physical, mental, spiritual, emotional. All things are met, and there is actually a presence that proceeds from us, that changes the atmosphere because of the love of God and the peace that accompanies that love. And the peace of God that passes all understanding keeps us focused in on Jesus Christ. And what we behold or who we behold, we become like. If we behold negativity, we become negative. If we behold absolute purity, we become absolutely pure because what's imparted to us relationally. It's not us religiously just doing something and not knowing why we're doing it, but it's doing it for a purpose with that motivating factor of love being the primary force through which we do things. And it's going to become more and more important because the times that we're living in are going to become more and more problematic across the nations. And Israel is going to be at center stage, and there's going to be an increased hatred toward Israel. The nations are actually going to rise up and demonstrate a hatred toward Israel. And it's all a design by God. Because God is going to protect Israel from her enemies. And there are enemies now that are mounting up looking

Loving Israel Under Growing Pressure

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to destroy, literally annihilate Israel off the map. Again. An attempt again again. And it's going to increase. And we are called as people to love one another as one new man. Where there is no Jew, there is no Greek. There is no Jew, there is no Gentile. We are one new man in Christ Jesus. So we share love toward one another. I love Israel because God has placed that love in my heart. And I will defend the peace of Jerusalem. I pray for the peace of Jerusalem on a regular basis. And it's important for us to be that people because the times are going to become more and more intense, and the pressure is going to be greater for us to join and get on the bandwagon of hating Israel. And there are going to be a variety of lies spoken. And no sooner is it going to be spoken about Israel that the church is going to be thrown right in the mix because God has things in store that involve his love, but it requires us putting away childish things so we can see things clearly. Because once again, childishness, it has this tendency to focus on petty things. And there is a type of self-centered focus that comes with being childish. Being childish, childlike, is different. It has a purity to it, and it has a pure imagination. And God is in the process of and has been since the time of Christ. He's in the process of creating a people that will worship Him regardless of the circumstances, and who will demonstrate love to another regardless of the circumstances. And in fact, because of the negative circumstances, we demonstrate love to God and one another. That shows the world the type of quality of life that lives within us. And it is an opportunity then for them to see firsthand what a believer really looks like. Because we are the only Bible that some people will ever read. And so I'm giving a word of encouragement, and we're going to be increasing our podcast episodes for a while because of the time that we're living in. And I'm sounding somewhat of an alarm, but also a word of encouragement that we have options. And number one option is for us to grow and mature in the love of God. That will bring about a unity. As his presence is revealed, as

A Call To Mature In Love

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his glory is manifest more and more and more, we're going to be seeing a unity in the body of Christ corresponding to the presence of God being felt and seen across the nations. So here we are in a time in which prophets, priests, and kings have looked in on these and longed to be involved, but weren't. And you and I have the opportunity of being involved in these final days in which God is transitioning from one era to another, and this particular portion of time is coming to a close. And we as a people are assured of this thing above anything else. And that is that God is going to be glorified, Israel is going to be saved, and the church is going to be rescued from destruction because of the promises of God and his love. We come to you in the name of Jesus and we declare your holiness. That your name is holy. You are holy. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come. Heaven and earth are filled with your glory. Lord, your kingdom and your power and your glory are being manifest on planet Earth more and more and more.

Prayer, Blessing, And How To Reach Us

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In America, we're going to see some major transitions taking place and some very hard times coming, but also some very prosperous times coming in the face of those difficulties, showing your faithfulness and causing individuals to wonder how is the provisions coming divinely to these people? And we can testify to the fact that it's because of the Lord's goodness and his faithfulness to his word. Because God, you're looking after your word, you're watching out for your word, you're looking at it, you're watching over it to perform it. You, God, are watching over your word to perform it, and I thank you. We honor you as God, and we pray right now in the name of Jesus for you to manifest your glory to us and through us. Transform us from the inside out, God, prepare us, body, mind, and spirit, to host and steward your glory. Give us strength, give us power, and we glorify your name as we stand here in the name of Jesus, declaring these things to be true, and we say amen. Yes, amen. Amen. Amen. Alright, folks, we love you. And if you have any thoughts, questions, concerns, please feel free to look us up on the uh web by typing LifeRear on the Fire or typing LifeRear on the Fire at gmail.com. That's our email address. Folks, we just would love to hear from you. In the meantime, God bless you. Adios, amigos.