Daily Dose of Hope

February 10, 2026

Scripture: I Corinthians 13

Prayer: Today, let's pray from Scripture. Dear God, Your Word says that, Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, 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. This is certainly who you are, Lord. Help us live this kind of love out in ways that make a difference in the lives of those around us. More of you, less of me. We pray this in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida. We are journeying through Paul's pastoral letters. Currently, we are in I Corinthians.

Today's passage is I Corinthians 13. This is going to be a pretty familiar chapter for many of you. It's often called the "love" chapter and it is read at weddings and funerals. It's absolutely beautiful prose but we often get Paul's intention wrong when we read it.

Remember, the Corinthian church was a total mess. They were arrogant, there were strong divisions between rich and poor, there were petty arguments and serious factions, and as we learned yesterday, they were holding up certain spiritual gifts as better than others. Let's just say it wasn't a picture of Christ's love and grace.

It's in the middle of all of this that Paul tells them what it means to really love one another. This isn't romantic love (eros), brotherly love (philia), but rather agape love. What is agape love? It's the love that God demonstrated to us and calls us to demonstrate to others. It is unconditional, sacrificial love. There is no selfishness in agape but only a concern for the what is best for the other. Paul is outlining this love to the Corinthian church to give them a word picture of what it could look like. Agape is not a feeling or emotion but rather a choice. We make a choice to love others this way and it requires commitment, faithfulness, and sacrifice without requiring anything in return.

Paul, at the end of his discussion about spiritual gifts, wants to make a very important point. Yes, you can have a gift of prophecy or a gift of tongues, but if you are using it without love, then it is totally useless. And, you have missed the point. These gifts were gifts of grace from the Holy Spirit to uplift and equip the body of Christ. The body of Jesus on earth should be a picture of his love. If it isn't, we have a really big problem. Jesus is love and we are called to be as well.

One of my seminary professors, when teaching on agape love, encouraged all of us to do what he called the Wal-mart exercise (I've spoken of this in previous sermons). Really, you can go to any place the public gathers. It could be the mall, Target, or Publix. He suggested sitting down on a public bench and just watching people go by for five minutes. For every single person you see, say "Jesus died for this person. He/she is infinitely loved by God. I'm called to love this person as well." For me, this is challenging. I have to be very intentional about not falling into the trap of judging the person because of how they look but truly looking at them, trying to see them as God sees them, and then focusing on how God wants me to love them unconditionally too.

This has changed me. God's agape love for me is real. My love for others should be too. What would it look like if all of us who are part of New Hope started to "agape" each other? How would this change us as people? How would this change our relationships? How would this change us as a body of believers and our witness to the world?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki